Come Together
by maxandkiz
Summary: When Sam is injured by other hunters, how will Dean respond? Set after episode 5.3 Free to Be You and Me so spoilers up to that point.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- Spoilers up to episode 5.3 Free to Be You and Me. Be warned I did change the end of the episode.

Title taken from the Beatles song of the same name.

Salvage yard owner Bobby Singer slowly wheeled into his bedroom and over to his bed. Placing his worn ball cap and cell phone on the nightstand he locked the brakes on his wheelchair and hauled himself onto the bed. After putting his useless legs on the mattress, he quickly threw the battered blue quilt over them. He couldn't stand to look at them. They were just another reminder of how worthless he was now. The world was going to Hell in a hand basket and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He was a hunter; he should be out there fighting with Rufus and Ellen and all the others. But he was stuck here in this infernal contraption instead. He couldn't hunt, couldn't fight, just had to sit by and watch as his friends dropped one by one. Maybe he should get his gun and…Bobby was startled out of his thoughts by the ringing of his cell phone. Snatching the phone off the nightstand he checked the caller i.d. frowning at the youngest Winchester's name. He should've known. Flipping the phone open Bobby growled, "Sam, you better have a damn good reason for calling me at this hour!"

"Ummm, Mr. Bobby?" a hesitant female voice asked.

Immediately on alert the junkyard owner sat straight up in bed tossing the blankets off as he did. "Who the Hell are you and how'd you get Sam's phone?" he barked.

"My name is Lindsey. I'm a friend of Keith's, I mean Sam" the young woman replied. "I so glad you answered. I was starting to think nobody would. I mean, I've been going through his contact list trying to find his family. I tried his dad first but he didn't answer so I started at the top of his contact list. Whoever Dean is he didn't answer and you were next and I know it's late but I decided to try you anyway cause I really need to get a hold of his family. The doctors say that they need…"

"Wait, doctors?" Bobby anxiously broke in. "What doctors? What's wrong with Sam?"

"These three guys came in the bar a couple of days ago looking for K-Sam. They said they were hunting buddies of his. He talked to them for a while and then they left. But one of them came back later with some other friends. He was yelling all this crazy stuff about his friends getting killed and how it was all Sam's fault; said they were going to make him pay for what happened. Sam tried to fight them off and he was winning but then this guy grabbed me from behind and held a knife to my throat and he told Sam that he'd kill me if he fought and he tried to talk them into letting me go but they wouldn't and he stopped fighting them and they just kept hitting him and hitting him and I couldn't stop them." Lindsey cried. "Some headlights coming through one of the windows must have scared them cause they ran out the back door. There was so much blood. I thought he was, was dead."

"Lindsey?" Bobby softly called when the young woman didn't continue. "Is he d-dead?"

"No, no Keith, I mean Sam's not dead. The doctors said the paramedics got him to the hospital in time. But he was hurt really bad and they said they need his family here. I wanted to sit with him but they won't let me because I'm not family. They won't even tell me how he is." Lindsey explained. "I did get them to hand over his phone so I could call you. You'll come, won't you? Please, Sam needs you."

"You still in Oklahoma?" Bobby asked as he pushed his legs off the bed.

"Yeah" Lindsey replied. "They airlifted him to the Oklahoma City Medical Center because our small hospital couldn't handle a case as bad as his."

"Give the doctors my number and tell them I'll be there as soon as I can." Bobby assured the young woman before hanging up. Setting the phone on the nightstand he hauled himself back into his wheelchair. He then snatched the phone back up and hit speed dial four. "Ellen, its Bobby. I'm gonna need a ride."

Two days later

Ellen quietly walked into the ICU room carrying two steaming cups. She handed one to Bobby before reclaiming her seat. Staring down at Sam she sighed. In the two days they'd been here very little had changed. Sam had only woken a couple of times and only for a few seconds. His doctor had been through several times and each time he said the same thing; that with a head injury as severe as Sam's there was a very strong possibility that he would have some brain damage. That they wouldn't know how bad until he woke up and they were able to assess him but that they needed to be prepared for it. The idea that the Sam she knew was gone was unimaginable. There was just no way Sam could wake up and not be the gentle giant she had come to know and love. Sam would wake up and be just fine; she was sure of it. Those doctors didn't know anything, didn't know him. A little knock to the head wasn't going to put him out of commission. Sam was a Winchester for pete's sake. And speaking of Winchesters; "Bobby, did you get a hold of Dean yet?" Ellen asked.

"Yeah, he finally called me back." Bobby muttered. "Said he'd be here sometime this afternoon."

"Thank God" Ellen mumbled. Leaning over the railing she gently brushed Sam's bangs off his forehead. "Here that sweetie? Your brother's coming."

"Ellen"

"Don't you dare tell me to stop Bobby!" Ellen growled. "Sam's gonna to come out of this! You hear me?"

"I hope you're right." Bobby mumbled.

That afternoon

Dean stormed into Sam's ICU room dropping into a chair when he saw the state his little brother was in. Taking in all the tubes and wires connected to the younger man and the equipment surrounding the bed he reached out a shaky hand and gently took his brother's hand in his. "God Sammy" he whispered.

"Hey Dean" Bobby croaked.

"What happened Bobby?" Dean asked not taking his eyes off Sam.

"Some hunters found out about him setting Lucifer free; decided to try and take him out." Bobby explained.

Voices penetrated the fog Sam was trapped in. 'G'd Sa'my' _"Dean, Dean's here" _Sam thought. His brother's voice was just what Sam needed to hear. He fought his way through the fog desperate to see his brother. As he got closer and closer to consciousness the voices around him became cleaner.

"Dean, the doctors say that the head injury has more than likely caused some type of brain damage." Bobby told the younger man. "But they won't know for sure till he wakes up."

"Might be better off if he did." Dean muttered starting as he was whacked on the back of the head with Bobby's cap.

"Don't you dare say that boy!" Bobby growled.

"It's true, Bobby. If Sammy woke up and didn't remember all the crap that's gone down the past couple of years, it'd be the best thing for him. He wouldn't have all the pain and guilt he's been dragging around and he wouldn't have to worry about the demon blood or Lucifer or anything. He could be happy again, like he was before he found out what's really out there." Dean argued. "He wouldn't be that person I came back to. He could just be Sammy again."

"Do you seriously think everything would be alright then, Dean? Do you? You think the hunters are going to leave him alone just because he was brain damaged? And what about the angels, huh? And Lucifer? Think he's just gonna leave Sam alone?" Bobby gruffly asked. "If your brother is brain damaged, he'll be a sitting duck. He won't be able to defend himself when Lucifer or anybody else comes calling."

"He won't have to, Bobby. I'd take care of him." Dean fired back. "I'd look out for him just like I did when we were little. I wouldn't let anything bad happen to him."

"That supposed to make it alright, Dean?" Bobby questioned. "Cause it doesn't."

"You two shut up and Dean sit back down!" Ellen ordered. "I won't have you talking about stuff like that around Sam. He's going to wake up and be just fine. You'll see."

"Yeah, you're probably right Ellen." Dean agreed scrubbing a hand across his face.

"I am right." Ellen confidently stated voice softening as she took in the fear and worry in the young man's eyes. "Dean, you look exhausted. Why don't you and Bobby head out to the motel; get yourself a room and get some sleep? I'll watch Sam for a while."

"No, I'm fine." Dean protested. "Sides, I won't be here that long. Once he wakes up with all his marbles, I'm going hit the road."

"Dean" Bobby warned.

"No Bobby, we've already been over this." Dean hissed. "Sam and I can't be together. End of story."

"_Dean doesn't want me."_ Sam thought as he lay listening. _"He wants the little Sammy that followed him around like a puppy dog; the one that didn't know about hunting. I don't wanna lose him again. I can't." _Hearing his brother get up Sam quickly made a decision. Blinking open his eyes he slowly turned his head to the side.

"Sam?" Ellen said. "Sweetie, can you hear me?"

"Sammy?" Dean whispered grasping his little brother's hand once more.

"Dean?" Sam rasped.

"Bout time you woke up, kiddo." Bobby said with a grin. "You gave all of us one Hell of a scare."

Sam smiled at Bobby and Ellen before glancing around in the room in confusion. Looking back at his big brother he asked, "Dean, where's daddy?"

Okay, what do you think?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- Sam smiled at Bobby and Ellen before glancing around in the room in confusion. Looking back at his big brother he asked, "Dean, where's daddy?"

"Daddy?" Dean gruffly repeated gazing at his brother in shock. "What the Hell, Sammy?"

"Dean" Bobby warned. He shook his head giving the younger man a stern look before turning to Sam. Softening his expression he smiled at the injured boy and softly asked, "Sam son do you know where you are?"

"Uh huh" Sam rasped with a slight nod of his head. Closing his eyes he wished the marching band in his head would take a break. It was hard to concentrate with all the pounding and he needed to think if he was going to pull this off. He groaned as the pain suddenly intensified. Hearing Bobby's faint voice telling him to open his eyes Sam tried to comply. He struggled to lift the heavy lids but they refused to budge. Another wave of pain flowed over him carrying him into unconsciousness once more.

"Sam? Sammy?" Dean called shaking his little brother's shoulder gently. "Come on man! Open those eyes for me!"

"Leave him alone, Dean. Sam's out again." Bobby said. "That's how it's been the last two days. At least this time he was awake for a little longer and he seemed more aware."

"And this is the first time Sam spoke to us. That's a good sign." Ellen pointed out.

"A good sign?!" Dean hollered rounding on his friend. "He asked for "daddy"! How the Hell is that good?!"

"Dean, tone it down before you get all of us kicked outta here!" Bobby barked glaring at the boy until he sat back down. "That's better. Now calm you're a$$ down. Sam's fighting to come back from a serious head injury. It's no wonder the kid's confused about things. He'll be alright. You'll see."

"Bobby's right. Don't go looking for trouble." Ellen advised patting Dean's shoulder. "Sam's going to be just fine."

"I hope so" Dean mumbled as he reached over and took hold of his brother's hand.

The next time Sam awoke he winced as the headache from Hell made itself known. Feeling a hand carding through his hair he frowned. He didn't remember inviting anyone to his motel room. In fact the last thing he remembered was…was…Sam drew a blank. Confused and more than a little freaked he searched his fuzzy brain for some memory. He could tell he was in a hospital from the sterile smell and the beeping of various machines but why was he here? And who was with him? Images of a bar and three men flashed through his mind. _"Okay, must have been in a fight."_ Sam concluded. But that still didn't answer the most pressing question; who was playing with his hair? Hearing a voice he focused in on what was being said.

"Don't you worry about that brother of yours, Sam" Ellen whispered as she brushed the bangs off the young man's forehead. "He'll come around. I know he told you that you two can't be together anymore but he doesn't really mean it. Dean's just angry right now. He'll cool off and you boys will be back fighting side by side in no time. I'm sure of it. He's been sitting with you most of the day. Took me and Bobby both to strong arm him into going down to the cafeteria to get something to eat."

Sam tuned Ellen out as the memory of the last time he woke up bubbled to the surface. Dean was planning on leaving as soon as Sam woke up. He didn't want him anymore. He wanted the little brother that followed him around like a puppy dog. Hurt flooded him as Dean's words ran through his mind. His big brother had actually wished he was brain damaged. God, had he changed so much, done so many bad things that even the person who loved him unconditionally couldn't stand to be around him? He couldn't lose Dean, not again. Between the trickster and Hell Sam had spent more than enough time without Dean. He couldn't do it again. He just couldn't. Right then and there Sam decided he was going to do everything in his power to keep his brother from leaving. _"If innocent little Sammy is what Dean wants"_ Sam thought, _"then that's what he's gonna get."_ Decision made the younger brother lay still keeping his eyes closed as he waited for his big brother to enter the room. He didn't have to wait long.

"How's Sammy?" Dean asked as he hurried into the room and retook his seat. "Did he wake up at all?"

"No" Ellen replied shaking her head. "I think he might be getting close though. He was frowning a minute ago."

"_Now or never"_ Sam thought. He shifted on the bed before turning his head and slowly opening his eyes. Blinking to clear his blurry vision he glanced around the room eyes coming to rest on his brother. "Dean?" he croaked.

"Hey Sam" Dean greeted as he pushed the call button. "How're you feeling?"

"My head hurts." Sam whined looking over at the door. "Where's daddy? I want daddy."

"Your dad's not here right now, Sam." Bobby answered. Wheeling over to the bed he tried his best to ignore the boy's wide eyed stare.

"Uncle Bobby, why are you in that chair? Are you hurt, too?" Sam gasped.

"You don't remember?" Bobby prodded.

"Nuh uh" Sam rasped rubbing his throat.

"Here you go, sweetie" Ellen said holding a cup of water out for the young man.

Staring fearfully at his friend Sam shook his head and looked back at the salvage yard owner. "Uncle Bobby, who's that lady?" he questioned pointing in Ellen's direction. "Is she your girlfriend?" He glanced over at his brother as Dean snorted.

"Sammy" Bobby called. He waited until he had the boy's attention before continuing. "That's Ellen. She's a friend of your daddy's and mine."

"Oh" Sam simply replied. Looking back at his big brother he put on his best puppy dog expression. "Dean, is daddy gonna come get us? I don't like it here." He sniffed. "I wanna go home."

Dean exchanged a worried look with Bobby before gazing down at his injured sibling and smiling. "I know, Sammy." He said as he held down the call button. "I do to but we've gotta get you better first. Okay, kiddo?"

"You'll stay with me?" Sam quietly asked.

"Course I will" Dean replied. "I'll be here the whole time."

"Sir" a nurse huffed as she stomped into the room. "You can take your hand off the…" Nurse Hilda stopped in her tracks as she saw her patient staring at her. "Well hello there Sam. You finally woke up, huh." She greeted. "I'll just go page Dr. Walters."

Sam watched the huge African American woman hurry out of the room. "Dean" he whispered once the door had shut, "I don't like her. She's scary."

"Yeah, she is, isn't…OW! Quit it, Bobby!" Dean hollered glaring at the older man as he replaced his cap.

"Dean" Bobby softly called motioning at Sam who was holding his head in his hands.

"Oh, shit! Sorry Sammy" Dean whispered. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed he gently removed Sam's hands and started slowly carding a hand through his little brother's hair. "Shhh, it's okay buddy. I'm here" he murmured. He continued the comforting motion whispering reassurances to Sam until Dr. Walters walked into the room. Patting his brother's back Dean stood and reclaimed his chair beside the bed.

"Hi Sam, it's good to see you awake." Dr. Walters greeted as he reached for his patient's wrist. Frowning as the young man flinched away from him the gray haired physician pushed his glasses back on his nose and smiled down at the frightened boy. "How are you feeling, Sam?"

Sam glanced at Dean before answering. "My head hurts" he whispered.

"I bet it does." The elderly doctor agreed as he took a seat on the side of the bed. "I'll have Nurse Hilda get you something to make your head feel better, okay?" Getting a slight nod he pressed the call button and turned to the family. "Would you folks mind stepping outside for just a bit so I can examine Sam?"

"NO Dean! Don't leave me!" Sam hollered reaching for his brother.

Dean rushed to the other side of the bed and sat down beside his brother. "Hey, hey Sammy, look at me, kiddo" he instructed taking his sibling's flailing hands in his. "You're okay Sammy. The doc's not gonna hurt you. He's just gonna look you over and give you some medicine for your head."

"You stay" Sam pleaded. "Please?"

"Sorry buddy. I can't stay." Dean told his little brother. "But I'm not going far. I'll be right outside the door the whole time. I'll even stand in front of that window so you can see me, okay?" Seeing Sam about to object he added, "How about you hold onto this for me while I'm outside?" Slipping out of his leather jacket he laid it over Sam smiling as his brother clutched the jacket to his chest. Standing he cupped his little brother's cheek. "Be good for the doctor, Sammy." He instructed before following Bobby and Ellen out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- Standing he cupped his little brother's cheek. "Be good for the doctor, Sammy." He instructed before following Bobby and Ellen out the door.

Bobby backed his chair against the wall across from Sam's room and stared at the closed door. He'd hoped with all his heart that Sam waking up and asking for his dad that first time had just been confusion from his head injury; that he'd wake up again and be back to normal. But it seemed that wasn't meant to be and it was tearing him up inside to see the young man reduced to a scared, little boy. The surrogate father had really thought they'd dodged a bullet; that the kid was going to be alright. After all the first few times the littlest Winchester woke, he seemed to recognize him and Ellen. Hell, the kid even smiled at Ellen once. It wasn't till his brother got there that…wait a minute. It couldn't be. Surely they wouldn't do something like that. Would they? Narrowing his eyes Bobby turned his gaze on Dean. If this mess was his doing, wheelchair bound or not he was going to kick the boy's ass. Glaring over at the man in question Bobby loudly cleared his throat. "Well, it looks like you got your wish, Dean" Bobby gruffly said.

"What do you mean, Bobby?" Dean asked staring at his long time friend.

"I mean, that the head injury evidently scrambled Sam's brain. He didn't remember Ellen or me being in a wheelchair." Bobby pointed out. "And he keeps asking for your daddy. Sam hasn't called John daddy since he was seven."

"I know" Dean quietly agreed.

"Bobby, are you sure this is because of the attack?" Ellen asked walking over to the old hunter. "Could Dean's so called angel friends have done this?"

"Why would they do that, Ellen?" Dean broke in. "Why would they do that now? Why not before Sammy set Lucifer free?"

"They couldn't do it before. They needed him to break the last seal and he couldn't do that if he was Sammy." Bobby stated. "Maybe they did it now 'cause they think it'll make it easier to get you to say yes. Or maybe one of them heard that little wish of yours and decided to help you out."

"I didn't want this, okay Bobby?! Yeah, I thought about it and it sounded like a good idea for all of five seconds. But that's it! I'd never wish for Sammy to be like…" Dean broke off as Dr. Walters and Hilda walked out of Sam's room. "How's Sammy, doc?" he asked.

"Why don't we go talk in my office?" Dr. Walters suggested.

"No, I promised Sam I'd stay right here where he could see me and I'm not about to go back on my word." Dean replied.

"Dean, I gave Sam a mild pain reliever for his headache. He's already fallen back to sleep and he'll most likely sleep through the night. He won't even know you're gone." The doctor told the young man.

"Doesn't matter, I'm not leaving him." Dean adamantly stated as he glanced through the room window to check on his sleeping sibling.

"Alright, then let's at least go back into the room. I really don't want to discuss his case in the hallway." Dr. Walters agreed.

Dean nodded his agreement and then turned and walked into his brother's room. Retaking his seat by the bed he checked on his injured sibling before reaching through the bed railing and grasping Sam's hand. Turning his attention to the physician Dean said, "Okay, let's have it."

"Well first let me say that I wasn't able to do as complete an exam as I would have liked. Sam appeared to be frightened of me and Nurse Hilda and flinched away whenever we got too close. It took several minutes for me to gain his trust enough to let me check him over. And even then he wasn't completely comfortable with us." The doctor explained. That said I actually have some good news for you. Physically Sam is doing very well. His injuries are all healing nicely. The knife wounds on his chest and arms are showing no signs of infection. I should be able to take those stitches out in another week. The swelling around his right knee has gone down considerably. He'll still need to wear the brace for a few weeks and he might need some therapy for his knee and his left hand once it's out of the cast. His ribs are still tender and probably will be for a while to come but all in all Sam's making good progress. He is still in quite a bit of pain but that's to be expected."

"But" Bobby prodded.

"But as I warned you earlier in the week, there seems to be some brain damage left from the head injury." The doctor paused for a moment to let that much sink in. "I did a few cursory tests with Sam after I examined him starting with motor control. He could move his arms, legs, hands, and feet when directed. I'm afraid he panicked a little when he couldn't bend his right knee. I tried telling him that he had wrenched his knee but Sam just looked at me like he didn't understand and kept crying for his daddy and Dean. Seeing his confusion I adjusted my explanation and my approach. I softened my voice and spoke as I would to a young child. I simply told him that I had put a brace on his knee because it was hurt and that was why he couldn't move it and he calmed down."

"What else?" Bobby prodded when the doctor didn't continue.

Sam's having trouble with eye-hand coordination and motor skills." Dr. Walters informed them. "For example, I put his cup on the tray table and wheeled it over to him. I asked him to hand me the cup so I could pour him some water. It took him several tries to grasp the cup and when I filled it and handed it back, he spilled more than he drank which upset him. Nurse Hilda and I both assured him that it was okay; that he wasn't in trouble. But nothing we said seemed to help. By that point he was starting to tire again and all that crying was making his headache worse. So I decided to cut my examination short. I had Nurse Hilda change the wet sheet while I injected the pain reliever into his IV port."

"So, you don't really know for sure that he's brain damaged?" Dean asked.

"Not with one hundred percent certainty" the doctor conceded. "Which I won't have until Sam is able to complete the testing. However, from what I've observed I'm almost positive that he is suffering from some level of brain damage."

"What about his memory? Why does he remember some things and not others?" Ellen questioned.

"That's another troubling aspect of this case." Dr. Walters replied. "And one that I don't have an answer for at the moment."

"So, what you're telling us is you pretty much don't know any more than you did before he woke up." Dean wearily stated.

"Dean" Bobby warned.

"Its okay, Mr. Singer. Your nephew is correct. I'm afraid I haven't been able to give you any answers yet. But rest assured I will get those answers for you." Dr. Walters promised. "Tomorrow morning after breakfast I'll take Sam for some tests. I should have your answers then."

"Thanks doc" Bobby said as he shook the man's hand. "I appreciate everything you're doing for Sam."

"It's my pleasure" the doctor replied with a smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few more patients to see before I leave for the night. If Sam needs anything, just hit the call button. Nurse Hilda will be here all night."

"I'll walk you out." Ellen said as she stood. "I'm going out for coffee anyway. I think we could all use some right about now."

Bobby waited for Ellen and the doctor to go out and then wheeled over to Dean's side. "Dean, are you sure this isn't the angels work?" he asked.

"Positive" Dean replied without taking his eyes off his brother. "With those sigils carved into our ribs they can't even find us. This is just plain old crappy Winchester luck."

"What are you gonna do if it's permanent?" Bobby questioned.

"I don't know, Bobby" Dean whispered. "I just don't know."

The next morning

Sam slowly awoke the next morning to silence. Opening his eyes he was pleased to find that while he was still in pain it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been the day before. He rubbed his eyes to clear his vision and glanced around the room smiling at the sight of his drooling brother slumped in the chair beside him. _"Man, I wish I had a camera!"_ he thought when he saw Bobby asleep in his chair with Ellen snuggled against his side. _"Rufus and Joshua would have a field day with that picture!" _Hearing his door bang open he looked over to see a young nurse carrying a tray into the room.

"Good morning" the nurse cheerfully greeted as she set the tray on the table and wheeled it over to Sam's bed. "Dr. Walters ordered a liquid breakfast for you this morning and he said he wants you to try to eat at least half. Okay, handsome?"

"Don't worry darling" Dean piped up grinning at the young woman. "I'll make sure he does just that."

"Oh, okay" the nurse agreed keeping her attention on Sam. "Bye handsome. See you in a little while."

Dean turned and watched the nurse saunter out the door. Letting out a whistle he looked back at his brother. "I think she has the hots for you, man. She didn't even look my way." He said pumping his eyebrows.

Remembering his part Sam cocked his head to one side. "She can't be hot. It's cold in here, Dean." He pointed out.

"You cold, Sam?" Ellen asked from her spot on the couch. Seeing his nod she got up and headed for the door. "I'll go get you another blanket. Be back in just a minute."

"Thanks Ellen" Dean called. Turning back to his little brother Dean scooted his chair closer to the bed. Lifting the lid off the breakfast tray he forced a smile. "Looks, ummm, good, Sammy."

Sam glanced down at the watery meal on his tray and grimaced. Bobby's dogs wouldn't even touch that slop. In face it looked more like something the dogs had barfed up. Holding his flip flopping stomach Sam made a disgusted face. "Yuck" he said.

"Come on Sammy, you gotta eat. I bet the nurses will let you have a popsicle if you eat everything on your plate." Dean coaxed.

Recognizing one of Dean's favorite and most successful ploys to get him to eat when they were younger Sam mentally groaned. While he didn't want to touch the crap with a ten foot pole, he knew his child self would have happily gobbled it up for the cold treat. Resigning himself to a fate worse than death Sam slowly reached for his spoon frowning when he missed the tray entirely. A couple more failed tries later he turned to Dean. "Dean?" he whispered allowing tears to roll down his cheeks. "My hand don't work right."

"Hey, it's okay Sammy" Dean soothed as he took a seat on the bed beside his brother. "You're gonna be alright."

"But Dean"

"Not buts Sammy. You're going to get better. It's just gonna take a little time, okay?" Dean assured him. Getting a hesitant nod the older brother smiled. "Good. Now let's get you fed." Picking up the spoon he scooped up a little of what looked like mush and held it out to Sam. "Down the hatch, kiddo."

Sam closed his eyes and opened his mouth swallowing the foul tasting mess as fast as he could. His stomach grumbled and gurgled threatening to revolt with each new spoonful. Sam tried his best to keep his breakfast down but halfway through the meal his stomach erupted and everything came rushing back up. Leaning over the bed he threw up everything he'd just eaten and then some. When the retching was finally over, he collapsed back onto the bed and wrapped both arms around his aching ribs.

Dean waited a few moments to make sure Sam was through and then handed the kidney shaped bowl he was holding to Bobby to empty. Retaking his seat on the bed he reached over and filled a glass with water. "Here you got, Sammy. Small sips" he instructed as he held the plastic cup to his sibling's lips. He let Sam take a few sips and then set the cup back on the night stand. Pushing the call button Dean started carding a hand through Sammy's messy mop of hair in comfort while they waited for the nurse.

"Something wrong?" the young nurse from earlier asked as she walked into the room.

"Yeah, Sammy threw up his breakfast." Dean replied. "And I'm not sure he's through yet. His stomach's still making noises."

"I'm sorry handsome" the nurse said as she walked over to the end of the bed and picked up the chart. Quickly reading through the doctor's notes she set the chart back in the holder and gave the brothers a smile. "Be right back" she told them as she hurried out the door.

"What's wrong?" Ellen asked as she came into the room carrying a couple of blankets.

"Sammy got sick" Dean simply stated. He stood, took one of the blankets from Ellen, and tossed it over his sibling. Pulling the cover up to Sam's chin he gently tucked it around his little brother being careful of all the wires and tubes.

"Okay Sam this should settle your stomach and make you feel better." The young blonde called as she hurried into the room and over to the bed. Uncapping the syringe she quickly pushed the medicine into the port in his hand. "There you go. It'll probably knock you out for a while, but it should take care of your tummy troubles."

Dean watched as Sam slowly relaxed and drifted off to sleep. "Thanks, uhh, Melina" he said reading her name tag for the first time.

"No problem. Let me know if you need anything else." She replied as she walked back to the door. She waved at the young man before leaving.

Dean rolled his eyes at the flirting and turned his attention back to Sammy. It looked like they were in for another long day.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- Dean rolled his eyes at the flirting and turned his attention back to Sammy. It looked like they were in for another long day.

SPN

Sam awoke with a groan. His head pounded, his ribs ached, and his throat felt like someone had taken a sander to it while he slept. In all he felt like crap. Opening his eyes he looked over at the empty visitor's chair and frowned. Where was Dean? His big brother's behind had practically been glued to that chair from what little he recalled. And while he may not be clear on much the past few days he was certain of one thing: Dean had been in that very chair every time he opened his eyes. So where was he? Had Dean decided that hurt or not he didn't want to be near Sam and left? Or had he figured out that Sam was faking and taken off? What would he do if Dean had left him for…

"Sam, Sam son take it easy." Bobby's gruff voice broke in. "Dean hasn't gone anywhere. He's just in the bathroom."

Hearing a toilet flush followed by the sound of running water Sam slowly began to calm down. Assured that his big brother was just in the adjoining room the young man rested his head back on his pillow, closed his eyes, and focused on regulating his breathing. Dean was still here; his big brother hadn't left him.

Dean splashed some water on his face before turning off the faucet and drying his hands. As hard as the last twenty four hours had been, he had to admit that he was kind of enjoying being back in the role of big brother. Not that he was happy his kid brother was lying injured in a hospital bed mind you. It just felt good to be needed again. He'd always loved taking care of his little brother no matter what he'd told Sam in the past. And that was one of the things he had missed the most since he'd come back from Hell. Not that that was all Sam's fault; Dean knew he had been in no shape to resume the role of big brother and protector when he'd first come back. He'd actually been glad that Sam had assumed that role; it had been nice to be looked after for a while. _"Yeah, and just look how well that turned out."_ his mind supplied. Dean promptly squashed that thought before it could go any further. The past was just that; past. It was time he concentrated on the future and that started with taking back his role of big brother in the Winchester household. That had been his job from the moment their dad had put his baby brother in his arms the night of the fire and it was time he reclaimed it. He knew his little brother was now a grown man but to him Sam would always be that little boy with the inquisitive eyes and impish grin. Smiling at the memory of a small Sammy Dean tossed the towel he was holding back over the rack and walked out the bathroom door. Seeing Bobby hovering over a nearly hyperventilating Sam he hurried over to the bed. "Bobby, what's going on? What's wrong with Sammy?" he asked as he took a seat on the bed beside his brother.

"Everything's alright, Dean" Bobby quickly assured the younger man. "Sam here just got a little upset when he woke up and didn't see you."

"_A little upset? Try freaked"_ Dean thought as he gazed down at his trembling sibling. He began running a hand up and down Sam's arm in comfort. "Hey Sammy" he greeted as his brother's eyes opened and locked with his. "How are you feeling, buddy? Your stomach still bothering you?"

"De" Sam rasped. Wincing he reached up to grab his sore throat only to yelp as he slapped himself in the eye instead.

"Whoa there kiddo!" Dean exclaimed as he captured the wayward limb and laid it back on the bed. "Don't think you need another head injury right now."

"Th-throat hurts" Sam ground out.

Taking the cup of water Bobby offered Dean held the straw up to his brother's lips. "Here you go, Sammy, small sips" he instructed. Not wanting his sibling to get sick again Dean only allowed him to take a couple of swallows before taking the cup away. "What do you say we ask the nurses about that popsicle now, bro? Think you could keep that down or are you still feeling sick?"

Sam's eyes lit up at the thought of the cold treat soothing his sore throat. "Popsicle" he whispered with a dimpled grin. "Please?"

"You got it Sammy." Dean agreed. "I'll just go ask the nur…"

"I'll get it, Dean." Bobby offered as he wheeled toward the door. "You stay here with Sam."

"I can do that Bobby." Ellen said as she rose from her spot on the couch.

"Sit your ass down!" Bobby barked. "I think I can manage to get a damn popsicle for the kid. I'm not totally useless, you know." Grabbing the door handle he yanked it open and sped out into the hall leaving the door to slam in his wake.

"Dean" Sam croaked breaking the silence that the salvage owner's departure had caused, "Is Uncle Bobby mad 'cause he got hurt?"

"No Sammy" Dean replied. "Bobby's just tired. You know how cranky he gets when he doesn't get enough sleep."

"Oh" Sam rasped glancing over at Ellen who had reclaimed her seat. He could tell she was kicking herself for upsetting Bobby. Knowing she didn't mean any harm he attempted to lighten the mood. "Ms. Ellen" he called out. He waited until he had her attention before continuing. "You need to lay down with him so he'll take a nap." He told her with the most innocent expression he could muster. "That's what Dean does when I'm really tired."

"I'll do that, Sam" Ellen said as she fought the urge to laugh. She lost the fight as the sound of Dean's laughter rang through the room. She giggled at the image Sam's suggestion conjured up. Glancing over at the young man on the bed who was looking at her and Dean like they'd grown two heads only made things worse. She turned to look out the window and tried to pull herself together. But it was no use. Every time she started to calm down that image would pop into her head and another round of laughter would start.

Feeling bad about his earlier outburst Bobby wheeled back into the room and opened his mouth to apologize. He froze as he took in the scene before him. He looked from Dean and Ellen who were both laughing so hard they had tears running down their faces to Sam who looked confused. Rolling over to the bed he cleared his throat. "Do I want to know?" he asked Dean.

"No" Dean replied shaking his head. He glanced over at the old hunter and burst out laughing again.

"Ookay" Bobby muttered. Ignoring the two laughing idjits the surrogate father reached into his shirt pocket and pulled a long wrapped package out. Tearing it open he folded the paper back and held it out to Sammy. "Here you go, sport" Bobby said holding the grape popsicle steady for the injured young man.

"Thanks Uncle Bobby" Sam mumbled around the popsicle. He smiled as the cold treat instantly soothed his throat. Seeing a little of the spark come back into the older man's eyes as he helped Sam made a mental note to make sure Bobby had a hand in his recovery, too. He wanted Bobby to know that wheelchair or not he was still a very important part of their family. After all, the old hunter had been like a father to him and his brother. He'd never turned them away or gave up on them and he'd be damned if they'd give up on him; or let him give up on himself.

Dr. Walters walked into the room a few minutes later to find his patient awake and smiling. "Good morning!" he greeted. "Looks like somebody's feeling better this morning."

"Yes sir" Sam shyly answered as he peered up at the doctor.

"Good" the doctor mumbled as he walked over and took the chart out of the holder at the end of the bed. He swiftly scanned it before replacing the clipboard. Going around to the far side of the bed he took a seat on the bed. "The nurse at the desk said you got sick this morning, Sam. Is your stomach still hurting?" he asked. Seeing Sam shake his head the doctor nodded. "Okay, good"

"Doc, when are those tests you mentioned last night?" Dean inquired.

"The orderlies will be here in a minute to get him." Dr. Walters replied before turning his attention back to his patient. "Sam, I need you to come with me for just a little while. I need to run a few tests to make sure you're getting better and then a friend of mine has a game she'd like to play with you. Okay?"

"Can Dean go with me?" Sam softly asked as he turned his puppy dog eyes on the doctor. "He likes games."

"No Sammy, I can't go this time." Dean replied palming his little brother's cheek. Seeing Sam open his mouth to object he quickly added, "Its okay kiddo. The doc's not going to hurt you. He's just going to check you out to make sure you're doing okay. Then he'll bring you back to the room. And I'll be right here waiting when you get back."

"Promise?" Sam asked starting as the door opened and the orderlies walked inside.

"I promise" Dean swore crossing his heart. Standing he smiled down at his baby brother. "Now be a good boy for the doctor, Sammy. Do what he tells you to. Okay?"

"Okay" Sam whispered. He smiled sadly at his big brother as the orderlies transferred him to a gurney. Sam then closed his eyes as they wheeled him through the door and out of sight.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- Sam then closed his eyes as they wheeled him through the door and out of sight.

SPN

Shoving the last bite of hamburger into his mouth Bobby crumpled the empty wrapper and tossed it back into the colorful take out bag. He picked up his napkin and wiped the crumbs out of his beard before glancing across the table at the oldest Winchester brother. Taking in the barely touched burger and fries he sighed. Knowing that the gentle approach never worked with the boy he put on his best 'John Winchester' glare and loudly cleared his throat. Once he had the younger man's attention he barked out, "Eat Dean!"

"I'm not…"

"Not asking ya, boy" Bobby interrupted as he wheeled around the table. "You are going to eat everything in front of you and then you're gonna shower and hit the sack for awhile. Got it?"

"I'll eat and grab a quick shower" Dean conceded, "but then I'm going back to the hospital. I don't want Sammy coming back to an empty room."

"Dean, you heard the doctor. Sam will be out of the room for most of the afternoon." Ellen reminded. "You've got more than enough time for a cat nap."

"But what if they finish and bring him back early?" Dean asked as he reluctantly picked up his cheeseburger and took a bite.

"The nurses have all our cell numbers and the hotel's. If Sam gets back early, they'll let us know." She pointed out.

"But…"

"Dean, that's enough. I may be in a wheelchair but I can still kick your ass if I need to." Bobby warned hiding a grin at the boy's shocked expression. "Now are you going to do as you're told or do I need to straighten you out first?"

"Fine" Dean huffed adding 'grumpy' under his breath. He stuffed the rest of his burger into his mouth chasing it down with a gulp of soda. Snatching up the wrapper he threw it into the trash can across the room and stomped over to his duffle angrily muttering about grumpy old men who thought they knew everything. He pulled out a change of clothes smiling as the sight of the room's double beds gave him an idea. Grinning mischievously Dean turned back to his friends. "Hey Ellen, Bobby's awful grumpy. I think Sammy was right about the nap thing." He said chuckling as the bar owner's face turned bright red. "You and Bobby go ahead and get to it. Don't mind me. I'll just take a nice long shower."

"Dean" Ellen warned.

"Don't worry Ellen. I promise not to look when I come back in." Dean threw in crossing his heart. Ducking the pillow that was thrown his way the young hunter hurried into the bathroom and shut the door. Chuckling at Bobby's bellowed 'He said what?!' he locked the door and walked over to the tub. He set his clean clothes on the closed toilet seat and reached through the curtain turning on the shower. Dean quickly stripped and stepped into the tub grateful that Bobby had gotten a room at a decent hotel. Standing under the powerful spray he let the water sooth his stiff muscles. "Stupid chairs oughtta be outlawed" he grumbled as the pounding spray hit a particularly sore spot. Relaxing under the massaging pulse of water Dean's eyes closed and he let out a loud yawn. Not wanting to be found sleeping in the shower by Ellen or Bobby the young man opened his eyes and reached for the soap. He swiftly lathered up the scratchy washcloth he'd grabbed off the rack. Dean did a hurried clean up before washing the soap off and stepping out of the shower. Snatching a towel he dried himself off. Tossing the towel aside the hunter walked a couple of paces and picked up his clothes hastily throwing them on. Stepping out of the bathroom he automatically glanced over at the beds. Seeing Bobby sleeping on the bed closest to the door and Ellen nowhere in sight Dean sighed. "So much for getting that picture" he muttered dropping onto his bed. He lay down and pulled up the blankets as he glanced at the clock on the night stand. Making a mental note of the time the older Winchester decided to rest for an hour or so and then head back to the hospital. Closing his eyes he turned onto his side and was asleep in minutes.

SPN

Nurse Hilda quietly watched as the orderlies transferred her patient from the gurney to his bed. She then stepped forward and hooked the wires back up to the various machines. That done the motherly nurse tenderly drew the sheets up around the sleeping man. "Sweet dreams honey" she whispered. She brushed the unruly bangs out of Sam's eyes before turning and silently walking out of the room. The heavy set woman shuffled down the hall to the nurse's desk. Rounding the corner of the desk she scooped up the bright yellow sticky note with the list of contact numbers for one Sam Winchester. Hilda glanced from the note to the clock on the wall with a frown. She knew she should dial the brother's number and let him know the boy was back in his room. After all the older boy had been adamant that she call the moment Sam was brought back. But it had only been about five hours since the young man's family had left and she knew they were going to get a bite to eat before catching a quick nap. Which meant that they probably hadn't been asleep for very long at all. They could definitely use a few more hours. The boy's older sibling may not have been there long but he looked exhausted and the uncle looked even worse. Maybe she should wait a couple more hours to call. It wouldn't hurt anything to put off the call. Her patient was sleeping and he wasn't likely to wake up anytime soon; he'd never even know they were gone. And the family could definitely use the rest; this ordeal had to be very stressful for them. Yes, that was it. She'd give them a couple more hours to sleep and then call them. Decision made Nurse Hilda set the sticky note back on the desk by the phone and walked out from behind the nurse's desk. She had some patients to check on.

SPN

The sound of angry voices woke Sam out of a sound sleep. Groaning he turned his head to the side. "Dean" he rasped not opening his eyes. His brother would take care of whoever was making all the noise. He was good at stuff like that. Realizing that he hadn't gotten an answer to his call, Sam slowly opened his eyes and blinked at the chair, the empty chair, by his bed. Confused the young man gazed around the room thinking he'd find his big brother asleep on the couch or watching television with Bobby or something. Seeing no one else in the room Sam swallowed hard. He glanced over at the bathroom as he struggled to calm his breathing. His heart rate and breathing quickened as he took in the open bathroom door and the dark room beyond. Something was wrong; terribly wrong. Dean would never leave him alone in a hospital. He would have had Bobby or Ellen stay if he went to the cafeteria. "Unless he left for good" his mind supplied. Shaking his head at the idea Sam studied the room again searching for anything that proved Dean hadn't abandoned him. But there was nothing; no empty coffee cups or candy wrappers. No sign that anyone had been in the room at all. Sam's head dropped back onto the pillow as the implications of what he was seeing hit him. Dean was gone. His big brother had left and taken Bobby and Ellen with him. Sam was alone.

Closing his eyes he fought to keep the tears at bay. He knew it would happen sooner or later; knew he deserved it. He had known what he had been doing would make his big brother hate him. After all Sam had been using his powers after he had sworn to Dean that he wouldn't. But Dean had been in Hell and Sam had truly believed that by using and strengthening his abilities he'd be able to get his brother out. As it turned out his brother hadn't needed his help; he had an angel backing him.

When Dean first came back Sam wanted to quit Ruby and the demon blood. But he was already addicted by then. And Dean was so different; so broken. It scared Sam to see his big brother like that. He vowed that he'd kill Lilith for what she did to his brother. Dean had always beat the crap out of anyone who dared laid a hand on his little brother. He owed it to Dean to take out the demon that had tormented him; make sure the witch could never get her claws in Dean again. He knew Dean would hate him for using his powers but at the time Sam had thought that he didn't have a choice. Working with Ruby was the only way to get strong enough to take on Lilith. He had even managed to convince himself that he could live with Dean hating him just as long as his brother was safe. But he'd been wrong. He couldn't live without Dean. Sam needed his brother like he needed air to breath. Dean grounded him; kept him human. And now he was gone.

Choking back a sob Sam turned onto his side unmindful of all the wires and tubes connected to him. He stared at the white wall as memories of happier times flashed through his mind.

SPN

Nurse Hilda carefully held the dinner tray in one hand as she opened the door to Sam Winchester's room. The boy's brother had said he would be there in about fifteen minutes when she'd talked with him on the phone a few minutes ago. And she wanted to have the young man fed before then. She figured the poor boy had to be embarrassed to have his family having to spoon feed him like a little baby so she decided that she'd help him eat before they arrived.

Hilda walked into the room and set the dinner tray on the small rolling table. She pushed it over to the bed frowning at the sight of her patient lying on his side. The motherly nurse quickly untangled the leads and wires and rearranged the Foley catheter bag to a more comfortable position for the young man. Noticing that her patient's hand was swollen Hilda swore. Sam had evidently pulled the IV out of place. Hurrying to the cabinet she grabbed the supplies she would need and rushed back to the bed. After turning off the drip, she gently took the man's hand in hers, peeled back the tape, and carefully pulled out the needle. Hilda held a cotton ball to the spot for a moment to stop the bleeding and then placed a band aid on the tiny mark. Laying the littlest Winchester's arm out to his side she quickly found a suitable vein in the crook of his elbow. "Sam honey, you're going to feel a little stick" she warned before sliding the needle in and taping it down. Frowning at the lack of response from her patient Hilda sat down on the bed beside the boy. "You okay, sweetie?" she asked brushing the bangs out of his eyes. "Come on honey, its okay. Tell Nurse Hilda what's wrong." When Sam still refused to acknowledge her in any way, she stood and hurried out of the room to get the doctor.

SPN

Dean walked into the hospital beside Bobby and Ellen. He hated to admit it but that little nap had been just what he needed. He was refreshed and alert and he couldn't wait to get back to his little brother. He just hoped the kid hadn't been too upset about being separated from him for this long. Little Sammy had hated being away from his dad and brother in the best of times but being sick had always made him clingier than usual. Hearing the ding of the elevator Dean waited for Bobby to roll in and then stepped inside. "You think the doc has the test results yet, Bobby?" he asked the older man.

"Don't know" Bobby replied. "He might have some of them but it'll probably be tomorrow at least before he has all the results since they just finished up with the kid."

"Tomorrow" Dean whined as he followed his friends out of the elevator.

"Chill Dean" Bobby instructed as he wheeled down the hallway between Dean and Ellen. "Sammy will be fine. He's already a lot better than when I first got here. We just need to give it time."

"Bobby's right Dean." Ellen agreed. "Sam will be…"

"Dr. Walters?" Dean called as he raced over to the man pacing outside his brother's door. "Dr. Walters what's wrong?"

Dr. Walters stopped pacing and looked up at Dean. Pushing the glasses back up on his nose the physician took a deep breath. "Dean, I'm afraid I have some bad news."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- Pushing the glasses back up on his nose the physician took a deep breath. "Dean, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

SPN

Dean grabbed onto the handle of Bobby's wheelchair to steady himself. This was exactly why he hadn't wanted to leave the hospital. Bad things always happened when he and Sam were separated. Swallowing back the lump in his throat the older brother shakily asked, "What is it, doc? What's wrong?"

Dr. Walters nervously clutched the clipboard in his hands as he worked out the best way to deliver the news. Hoping to prevent having an irate older brother on his hands he decided to begin with an apology. "Mr. Winchester, let me start by apologizing on behalf of myself and my staff. I want you to know that the nurse only had your best interests at heart. She wouldn't have…"

"For crying out loud, would you just spit it out already!" Bobby shouted slamming his hand down on his knee.

"Yes, yes of course" the doctor hastily replied taking an unconscious step back from the angered hunter. "Okay, as you know the nurses all had instructions to call you when Sam was brought back to his room." He waited for the family to nod before continuing. "Well, when Sam was brought back to his room earlier, he was sleeping. The head nurse knew that you hadn't been gone long and that you were all exhausted and she decided that she'd wait a couple of hours to call you. She didn't think…"

"Sammy's been back in his room for TWO HOURS!" Dean growled voice rising with each word.

"Yes, Mr. Winchester" Dr. Walters agreed. "As I said Sam was sleeping and she didn't think he'd wake up. She thought you could get a little more sleep and he wouldn't be any the wiser."

"But" Bobby prodded motioning for the doctor to get on with it.

"But Sam woke up sometime in the last hour. When Nurse Hilda took him his dinner, he was totally unresponsive to her. And he's been that way ever since." The physician explained sidestepping as Dean barreled past him and into his younger brother's room. Turning to his patient's aunt and uncle he softly said, "The nurse was just trying to look out for you folks. She treats all her patients and their families like they're her own. She'd never intentionally harm anyone. Please tell Dean that. I'm having a cot brought into Sam's room and advising the staff that you are allowed to stay 24/7 until Sam is ready to be released. I'm so sorry about all of this. Hilda really thought she was doing the right thing for all of you."

"Tell that to Sam, doctor" Ellen gruffly told the man as she followed Bobby into Sam's room. Closing the door behind her she silently walked over to the couch and took a seat. Tears filled her eyes as she watched Dean sit on the bed, gently pull his little brother up to rest against his chest, and slowly begin to rock.

"Hey Sammy, what's this I hear about you not talking, huh?" Dean whispered as he carded a hand through his sibling's hair. "I thought I taught you better than that bro. Didn't I teach you to be nice to the ladies, kiddo? Remember, you were four, I think, and you ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. You were so sick that time and the meds and treatments they were giving you were making you feel even worse. After a day or so, you cried every time you saw a nurse come in. Remember, what I told you, Sammy?"

Sam sat curled into a ball in a corner of the cold, dark room. Forehead on knees that were pulled up to his chest he rocked back and forth repeating the same two words over and over. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" he chanted pausing as a familiar voice penetrated the fog engulfing the room. 'Sammy…taught you…kiddo' "Dean" he hopefully whispered. He perked up at the thought of his big brother only to deflate again a moment later as a little voice reminded him that Dean had left him; that he didn't want to be his big brother anymore. Throwing his hands over his ears Sam huddled farther into his corner willing the voice to stop taunting him.

But the voice didn't stop. It droned on recounting memory after memory of their childhood. Happy, sad, or even scary; it didn't seem to make a difference. The soothing voice related them all becoming louder and more clear with each new story. And as the voice spoke pictures began appearing on the walls. Starting on either side of the closed door the framed snapshots of their youth soon filled the two walls. They then started decorating the two side walls.

Sam sat enthralled by the voice and the memories. He slowly stopped his rocking and removed his hands wanting, needing to hear his brother's calm voice. He let the memories wash over him filling his soul with an unconditional love that he hadn't felt in a very long time. For the first time in months Sam felt the strong bond connecting him and Dean. The bond he had thought was gone for good only grew stronger as memories of happier times continued to flow over and through him. Sam wanted to stay here in the warmth of his big brother's love forever.

He gazed contentedly at the pictures on the walls frowning as their appearances seemed to be slowing down. It was then that he noticed the voice had changed; it was getting lower and the once calm voice was now cracking with emotion. Panicking at the thought of losing his last connection to his brother Sam uncurled and quickly stood. He couldn't lose the voice, not now. He took an unsteady step towards the door willing the voice to rise once more. Hearing it weaken instead the youngest Winchester practically flew across the room. He reached a trembling hand to the door handle before stopping unsure of what to do. He stared apprehensively at the door shaking his head in disbelief as his brother's quiet voice suddenly stopped. Sam waited for a few seconds hoping that the voice would begin again only to be crushed as silence reigned. Unwilling to lose his last connection to Dean the littlest Winchester jumped into action. Grabbing the handle he threw the door opened and walked into the light.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- A big Thank You to everyone still reading this one. Thank you for sticking with the story and for being so patient.

Previously on Supernatural- Unwilling to lose his last connection to Dean the littlest Winchester jumped into action. Grabbing the handle he threw the door open and walked into the light.

SPN

"De'n" Sam moaned as his eyelids began to flutter. His head rolled around on the pillow until he was facing the hard backed chair usually occupied by his big brother. His eyes blinked sluggishly open and skittered around the room searching for said brother. "De'n?"

"Dean, get your ass back in here! Sam's waking up!" Bobby hollered as wheeled himself as close to the bed as he could. Taking the younger Winchester's hand in his own the surrogate father lightly squeezed the appendage. "Sammy, it's alright son. Dean's here. He's coming." He assured the ailing boy. Jumping as the bathroom door slammed against the wall the salvage yard owner patted Sam's hand before turning loose and wheeling backwards a little.

"Sammy?" Dean called hurrying to his brother's side. He dropped onto the bed smiling as wide hazel eyes stared up at him. "Thank God" he mumbled as he carefully pulled his younger sibling into a hug. "I was starting to think I'd lost you."

Sam gazed up at his big brother in amazement. "You came back" he rasped. "I, I thought you left me."

"I know, buddy. I know you did." Dean softly said tightening his hold on Sam. "I'm sorry I scared you, Sammy. I didn't mean to." Seeing his brother's confused expression Dean quickly began to explain. "See, the doctor told us that your tests were gonna take most of the day. So we decided to go back to the hotel to grab a bite to eat, shower, and change while we waited for the doctors to finish with you. I left all our numbers with the nurses at the desk and they were supposed to call me the second you got back to your room. But they didn't call. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up, Sammy." Grasping his brother's forearms Dean gently leaned the younger man back a little so they were face to face. "I don't want you to worry about me leaving you anymore. I will never leave you, kiddo. I'm gonna stay right here with you from now on. Okay, Sammy?"

Sam gave his brother a hesitant nod. He wanted to believe Dean; he really did. But after everything that had happened in the past two years, faith and hope were two things he didn't have much of. Wanting to be sure the younger man stammered, "But, but what if I, I make you really mad like that time I was playing with your toy car and broke it. You yelled at me and stomped out of the room and you didn't come back for a long, long time. What if I do something really, really bad like that? Will you l-l-leave me then?"

Dean carefully leaned Sam back against the now elevated head of the bed as he shot a grateful smile Bobby's way. He should have known reassuring Sam wouldn't be that easy. It rarely was with his younger brother. Cupping his little brother's face Dean looked him straight in the eye. "There is nothing you could ever do that would make me leave you." he softly assured, "You're my brother and I love you. That won't ever change. No matter what you do or how angry you make me."

"P-pro-mise?" Sam shakily whispered as a stray tear rolled down his cheek.

"I promise" Dean said gently wiping the tear away. Wrapping his arms around his little brother he drew him into a hug once more. He tenderly kissed the top of Sammy's head as he began to slowly rock his trembling sibling. Closing his eyes Dean smiled as the trembling slowly started to taper off. He couldn't believe something as simple as a hug still calmed his giant of a brother. He would definitely be adding them to his arsenal of remedies for soothing an upset or ill Sam. Dean just wished the rest of his sibling's problems were so easily solved. Contrary to what he had initially said the older brother would never wish this on Sam. The kid didn't deserve it; not even after all he'd done. Besides he…a loud rumbling noise pulled Dean out of his thoughts. Glancing down he chuckled as Sammy's stomach growled once more. "You hungry, kiddo?" he asked.

Reluctant to leave the safety and security of his brother's embrace Sam nodded his head as he snuggled closer to Dean.

"Dean, it's after midnight. I doubt the cafeteria is even open." Bobby pointed out.

"I'll go ask the nurses on duty." Ellen offered as she stood and made her way to the door. "And if food service is closed for the night, they can just point me in the direction of the kitchen. I'll have something for you to eat in no time, Sammy." Ellen walked out of the room sidestepping the orderlies who were bringing in a cot, a recliner, and some blankets.

Hearing the commotion Sam peered out from his cocoon eyes widening at the sight of the orderlies pushing the rolling gurney into the room. "Dean?" he worriedly whispered.

Feeling his brother tense Dean gazed down at Sam. Quickly figuring out the problem the older Winchester rushed to assure his younger sibling. "It's okay, Sammy. They're not here to get you. They're just bringing in a bed for me like the doctor told them to." He softly explained. Eyeing the new furniture Dean snorted. Looked like the doctor and his staff had gone a little overboard trying to make up for their mistake. But as nice as the gesture was it was nowhere near enough to make up for the hell they had been put through the last few hours. He didn't think there was anything they could do to smooth over that. He just hoped that nurse had enough sense not to come into Sam's room to try and make things right cause Dean wasn't sure he'd be able to control himself. And the last thing Sammy needed right now was to have his big brother banned from the hospital for assaulting hospital personnel.

Bobby glanced at his boys for a moment before wheeling over to the gurney. Grabbing the bedding he swiftly readied the bed for Dean and then went to the recliner now sitting in the corner by the couch. Locking the brakes on his wheelchair he drug himself out of the blasted thing sighing as he sunk into the extremely comfortable chair. Hearing a muffled laugh the old hunter turned to see both boys grinning at him. "Laugh it up, boys" he huffed. "You two yahoos wouldn't make it an hour in that infernal contraption."

"Sorry Bobby" Dean apologized eyes alight with merriment. "We just aren't used to you being so, so…"

"Old" Sammy supplied earning himself a scowl. Burying his face in his brother's shirt he mumbled out "sorry".

"No harm done" Bobby replied giving the boy a smile as he mentally kicked himself for scaring the kid. He needed to remember that this Sam wasn't used to his gruff nature. Making himself a promise to be more careful with the boy Bobby pulled off his cap and settled back into the recliner to try and get some sleep. It looked like he was gonna need it. "Dean, why don't you give Sammy that present you brought?" he suggested before closing his eyes.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Dean said slapping his forehead. Reaching into his jacket pocket the young man pulled out a well worn stuffed animal. "Look who I found in your duffle."

Sam gazed lovingly at the small stuffed donkey and then looked up at his brother's smiling face. "You, you got Eeyore for me." He whispered the awe clear in his voice. Raising a hand he attempted to reach for the toy frowning as his arm swung around hitting Dean in the shoulder. After several more failed attempts to get the stuffed animal, Sammy dropped his head in defeat. "I can't get it, Dean." He miserably stated.

Dean shared a worried glance with Bobby before turning his attention to his brother. "It's okay Sammy." He soothed as he placed the toy in Sam's hand. "The doc's gonna get you all fixed up. You'll see."

"But, but what if he can't?" Sam quietly voiced keeping his gaze on the stuffed animal in his hand.

"He will, Sammy" Dean assured his sibling. Hearing the door open he glanced up to see Ellen walk in with a serving tray. He hastily cleared off the rolling cart beside Sam's bed licking his lips as a wonderful aroma filled the room. Peering down at the soup broth, water, and popsicle he grinned. "Thanks, Ellen" he said as he wheeled the tray table in front of his little brother. Hoping that the broth would stay down this time Dean picked up the spoon and dipped it into the soup. "Open up Sammy" he instructed.

Sam eyed the chicken broth warily unsure if eating was a good idea. The last thing he wanted was to throw up again. But seeing the expectant expressions on his family's faces, he knew he didn't have a choice. He closed his eyes and hesitantly opened his mouth accepting the spoonful of soup. His eyes snapped open in surprise. "This is good!" he complimented happily opening his mouth for more.

"That's cause I made it." Ellen proudly stated. "The nurses were only too happy to let me in the kitchen, a couple of them even stayed to watch. I think they just wanted my recipe."

"Probably thought you'd make enough for them." Dean countered as he continued to feed his brother. "Can't say as I blame them. That cafeteria food isn't fit for dogs."

Sam finished off the soup and popsicle in record time. Laying back against the bed he sleepily watched as his brother lowered the head of the bed so that he was lying flat once more. Yawning the littlest Winchester fought to keep his eyes open; afraid to take his eyes off Dean even for a moment.

"Go to sleep, Sammy." Dean softly admonished.

Shaking his head Sam stubbornly refused to close his eyes. "N't ti'ed" he yawned.

"Ummhmm, sure you aren't." Dean chuckled ruffling his little brother's hair. "Close your eyes, Sammy. I'll be right here when you wake up."

"Will you l-lay with me?" Sam hesitantly asked. He knew he was being a big baby but he was terrified that he was going to find himself trapped in that room without Dean if he fell asleep.

"Of course I will kiddo" Dean quietly said around the lump in his throat. Kicking off his shoes he carefully climbed on the bed and lay down beside his brother. He gently wrapped an arm around Sam heart swelling as the younger man snuggled into his side and dropped his head onto his shoulder. Dean slowly started carding a hand through the boy's mop of chestnut hair. "Go to sleep, buddy." He softly whispered. "Big brother's got you. You're safe."

Ellen walked into the room moments later to find the Winchester brothers sound asleep with Sam tucked firmly into his brother's side. Tiptoeing over to her purse she dug out her cell phone and quickly snapped a picture. She gazed down at the peaceful moment caught on film before saving the photo. She'd need it for the hard days ahead.

SPN

The next morning Sam awoke to someone shaking his shoulder. "Go 'way" he croaked.

"Rise and shine, Sammy." Dean's chipper voice called. "The nurse is coming with your breakfast. Come on kiddo, open those eyes."

Groaning Sam slowly opened his eyes a little. Seeing his brother's way too perky grin he cocked his head wondering what was going on. Then it clicked. The nurse at breakfast yesterday had been one hot little number. That definitely explained his extremely happy brother. Two of his favorite things were going to be walking in that door any minute. Sam just hoped that today's breakfast wasn't the same as the crap they served yesterday. While his stomach felt better, he didn't think it could handle that slop. Hearing the room door open the youngest Winchester turned to look in that direction. His mouth dropped open and his eyes bulged out as an older African American woman bustled into the room. _"No way! It couldn't be!"_ he thought as he watched the woman set his food on the tray table and wheel it over.

Dean stared at the nurse in shock for a moment before finally finding his voice. "Excuse me nurse, ahh, Georgia" Dean stammered glancing down at the lady's name tag. "You wouldn't happen to have a sister living in Kansas, would you?"

"No I don't honey." Nurse Georgia replied in a soft southern voice. "But I do have a younger sister named Kansas. She lives in Missouri. Wait, that's not right. My sister's name is Missouri and she lives in Kansas."

"Missouri Mosley?" Dean asked already knowing the answer.

"Why, yes! That's Missy!" the surprised nurse answered. "You know Missy?"

"Yes ma'am. Missouri's been a good friend of my family for a while now." Dean explained. "You sure you're not twins? You look just like her."

"That's what everyone always said growing up." The nurse told them flashing a brilliant smile. "Most people had a hard time telling us apart."

"I can see why." Dean chuckled as he took the top off Sam's breakfast plate. He took a whiff of the broth before offering a spoonful to his brother.

"You want me to do that?" Nurse Georgia asked.

"No thanks. I've got it." Dean assured the woman.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you to it then." The nurse said. "I'll just come back in a little while to get Sam's tray and give him a sponge bath."

"Okay" Dean agreed shoveling another spoonful into Sam's mouth.

Sam almost choked on the broth at the nurse's words. She looked so much like Missouri that her giving him a sponge bath would be the same as Missouri bathing him and that was, was, he couldn't think of a word horrible enough to describe it. In fact he couldn't think of anything worse than that. There was no way he could let that happen. Turning on his best puppy dog expression Sam peered innocently up at his big brother. "Dean, I don't want her giving me a bath." He whined.

Dean glanced at his sibling smirking at the blush spreading over the younger boy's face. He'd forgotten how shy little Sammy had been. Shaking his head the oldest Winchester spooned another helping of broth into Sam's mouth before speaking. "Sammy, she's your nurse. It's part of her job to give you a sponge bath." He told the younger man. "You'll be fine."

"No Dean" Sam pleaded shivering as the image of Missouri with a sponge flashed through his mind. "I don't want her to give me a bath! Please! Please don't make me!"

Seeing his brother shiver Dean frowned. The kid had already been traumatized enough by the nurses in this hospital and he certainly didn't want to add to it. But Sammy needed to have a bath. Glancing around the room Dean quickly thought of a compromise. "Okay Sammy, if you don't want the nurse to give you a bath, that's fine. I bet Aunt Ellen wouldn't mind giving you that bath instead." Dean offered.

Okay, so he was wrong. There was something worse. Staring at his big brother like he'd grown two heads Sam hollered, "She can't do that!"

"Why not, Sammy?" Dean curiously asked.

Channeling his inner five year old Sam fired back, "Deean, she's a girl!" the silent 'duh' ringing through the room.

Raking a hand through his hair in frustration Dean glared at a snickering Bobby before turning to face his sibling. "Sammy, you have to have a bath." He sternly stated. "Now who's it gonna be; the nurse or Ellen?"

Embarrassed by the whole situation Sam dropped his gaze to his lap. He shoved the independent part of himself to the back of his mind knowing he was in no shape to perform the simple task himself. Willing back the tears that thought brought the young hunter sniffed before swallowing his pride and whispering, "You do it, Dean. Please?"

"Me?" Dean gasped. "Sammy I haven't given you a bath in years. You don't want me to…" his protest died on his lips as tear filled eyes met his. Sam was wearing the expression Dean had seen all through their childhood. It was same look Sammy wore when he was hurt or sick; the one that begged for Dean to fix it. That was an expression he'd never been able to say no to. Sighing Dean nodded. "Okay Sammy, I'll give you your bath." He agreed.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- A huge thank you to anyone still reading. Thank you for your patience. Writing is a real struggle right now. But I'm slowly working through it. (I hope)

Previously on Supernatural- Sighing Dean nodded. "Okay Sammy, I'll give you your bath." He agreed.

SPN

"I'm full" Sam announced lying back against the bed. He closed his eyes trying to will away the headache that had been forming since he'd woken.

Dean glanced down at the almost full bowl of broth with a sigh. He knew the broth probably didn't taste all that great but Sam needed to eat if he was going to get better. Scooping up another spoonful he held it out to his brother. "Come on, Sammy just a couple more spoonfuls." Dean urged, "For me."

Keeping his eyes shut the youngest Winchester shook his head grimacing as the motion increased the throbbing in his skull.

"Sammy? What is it? What's the matter, kiddo?" Dean worriedly asked. He swiftly rolled the tray table out of the way and took a seat beside his little brother.

"Head hurts" Sam rasped curling into his big brother's side.

"Ready for your bath sweetie?" Nurse Georgia called as she shuffled into the room carrying a small yellow basin. Seeing the pained expression on her patient's face she frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked as she bustled over to the far side of the bed.

"He's got a headache." Dean explained as he gently ran his hand up and down Sam's arm.

The nurse checked the monitors before moving to the end of the bed. Picking up Sam's chart she quickly scanned the instructions and then headed for the door. "I'll be right back."

"It's okay Sammy. The nurse is getting you some medicine. Just hang in there buddy." Dean soothed brushing his brother's bangs out of his eyes. Shifting his hand to Sam's back the oldest Winchester began rubbing circles knowing how much the motion comforted the younger man. "Shhh, Sammy, its okay. I got ya." Hearing the door open Dean glanced over to see Nurse Georgia walk in carrying a syringe.

"Here we go, honey. This'll fix you right up." The nurse said as she shot the medication directly into the catheter in Sam's elbow. Depositing the used syringe in the red biohazard box Georgia walked down to the end of the bed and grabbed the chart. She scribbled a few notes before replacing the chart and turning to check on her patient. Seeing that the youngest Winchester had drifted off to sleep she smiled. Going over to the tray table she quickly switched the breakfast plate with the yellow basin and rolled it back over to the bed. "Why don't you folks go down to the cafeteria for breakfast while I give Sam here his bath?" she suggested as she laid out the supplies she would need. "I don't imagine he'd like the idea of you all being here for that."

"No offense Nurse Georgia but I promised Sammy I'd give him his bath." Dean told the motherly nurse. Noticing the nurse's quizzical expression he shrugged his shoulders. "He didn't want a girl bathing him."

"Well, then it's a good thing he's asleep. He won't be embarrassed that way." Nurse Georgia replied as she pulled a clean gown out of the closet.

"Uhh, maybe you didn't hear me. I'm giving Sammy his bath." Dean reiterated.

"I heard what you said child. But I also know that you only promised to appease your brother and that you really don't want to do that." Georgia softly said. Raising her hand as Dean opened his mouth to object the nurse grinned. "How about a compromise? You take care of washing your brother's face, hair, and arms while I wash the more, umm, sensitive areas. That way you're still keeping your promise without having to see your brother in all his glory."

Dean ran a hand through his hair thinking over the nurse's offer. It sounded like a great idea but what if Sammy woke up before they finished? The kid had enough to deal with already and he was sure finding out his big brother lied to him would crush Sam. On the other hand if the kid slept through the bath, he'd never know Dean didn't keep his word. Weighing the pros and cons the oldest Winchester quickly found the pros were the clear cut winners. Not only would Sam get his bath and his peace of mind but Dean would make it through the bathing without having to see certain parts of his little brother's anatomy. Smiling over at Nurse Georgia Dean nodded. "You've got a deal." He agreed.

"Think that's our cue to leave." Bobby muttered nudging Ellen's arm. "Come on, I'll buy you some breakfast at that diner across the street."

"You're on" Ellen replied. She stood and followed the older hunter to the door. "Be back in a little bit with your breakfast." she called over her shoulder before walking out the door.

SPN

A short while later Ellen and Bobby returned to find Dean conked out on the recliner beside Sam's bed. They silently made their way into the room. Ellen placed the take out box she was carrying on the tray table and then walked over to the couch by the far wall. Taking a seat on the lumpy sofa Ellen looked over all the monitor readings before focusing on the youngest Winchester. "He looks so young." She quietly noted.

"Yeah, the boy always has looked like a little kid when he's sleeping." Bobby told her. Hearing the creak of the door he glanced over to the doorway fingering the knife hidden by his coat. Seeing Dr. Walters walk in he relaxed dropping his hand into his lap. "Morning doc" he greeted as he reached over and swatted the oldest Winchester's arm. "Wake up Dean. The doctor's here."

"Huh?" Dean mumbled as he startled awake. Noticing the arrival of Sam's physician the young man sat up straighter in his chair all traces of sleepiness gone. "Hey doc" he greeted. "Do you have Sammy's test results yet? What do they say? Is Sam going to be okay?"

"Calm down Dean. Give the man a chance to speak." Ellen gently scolded. She scooted over to one side of the small sofa to give the doctor room to sit. Nervous about the youngest Winchester's prognosis she reached out and grabbed hold of Bobby's hand surprising the older hunter.

Dr. Walters took the offered seat. Setting his patient's folder in his lap he shifted slightly so he could face all three family members. Taking a deep breath he launched into his explanation making sure to direct his attention to the young man's older brother. "First let me apologize for keeping you folks waiting. I wanted to have all the test results back before I came to talk with you. That said let me say that Sam's recovery is going quite well. The MRI and CAT scan both showed vast improvements from the previous scans. There are still some areas of concern though. The scans picked up damage to three parts of Sam's brain; the Cerebellum, the Hippocampus and the Thalamus. As you know the cerebellum…"

"Doc, no offense but do you think you could explain without all the medical mumbo jumbo?" Dean impatiently asked. "I mean, I wanna know everything about my brother's condition but I don't have a clue about parts of the brain and stuff like that. You need to talk regular English cause you kinda lost me when you started talking about bells and hippos."

"Of course, of course, sorry about that. I tend to get a bit carried away some times." the doctor replied. "Now as I was saying there are three different areas of damage. The cere, I mean two of the damaged parts deal with muscle control and movement. I'm sure you've noticed by now the problems Sam's been having when he tries to grasp something."

"Yeah, we have" Bobby said. "Sammy's arm kinda goes anywhere but where he wants them to."

"Yeah and Sammy gets really upset when it happens." Dean added. "He doesn't know what's wrong and I think that scares him."

"The damage isn't permanent, is it? I mean Sam's not always going to have muscle problems? He will get better, won't he?" Ellen hesitantly inquired.

"With a lot of therapy and hard work Sam should be able to regain control of his limbs." Dr. Walters assured them. "It's not going to be easy or fast but I have every confidence that Sam will learn to control his movements."

"What about the other part?" Bobby questioned. "You said three areas were damaged. What's the third one?"

"The other part of the brain that shows damage is the Hippocampus. It's the part of the brain that deals with memory." The doctor explained.

"So that's why Sammy's acting like a little kid." Dean concluded.

"I don't think so. At least not completely." Dr. Walters stated shaking his head. "There is only an extremely small area of damage; not enough to cause all Sam's memory problems. We think certain short term memories, such as the bar fight that caused his injuries, were affected. His long term memory, however, should be intact."

"Well then, why is he acting like an overgrown five year old?" Bobby irritatedly growled.

"We believe Sam is suffering from a form of amnesia." Dr. Walters explained. "Dr. Edwards, one of the neurologists on staff, performed several cognitive tests on Sam to determine his mental state. Her tests concluded that your brother is functioning at the age of a six or seven year old child. We believe Sam's mental state is a mixture of the head injury he received and the amnesia."

"So we just need to find a way to make him remember?" Dean asked running a hand through his hair. "How do we do that?"

"Familiar places and people sometimes help. And talking about different memories or looking through old photo albums probably wouldn't hurt. You never know what might trigger a memory." The doctor suggested. "But I'm afraid it's mostly up to Sam. Some amnesia patients come out of it fairly quickly while others never regain their memories."

"You mean Sam might stay a six year old for the rest of his life?" Ellen gasped.

"It's possible." Dr. Walters honestly stated. "But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, you need to concentrate on Sam's physical well being. He's going to need all the support he can get the next few months."

"Don't think you have to worry about that doc. Between Dean and Ellen Sam's bound to be mother henned to death." Bobby joked.

"Like you're any better." Dean huffed glaring at the older man. Turning back to the doctor he said, "One more question, doc. How long will Sam have to stay here?"

"Well, he'll need to stay here at least another two weeks. Then he'll be transferred to a rehabilitation center until…"

"No" Dean adamantly stated. "Sammy is coming home with us. He's not going to any center."

"Dean, I don't think you understand the situation. Even after Sam's well enough to leave the hospital with his mobility issues he'll be confined to a wheel chair." Dr. Walters clarified. "He won't be able to do even the simplest of tasks by himself. He'll…"

"Now wait just a damn minute!" Bobby gruffly barked. "Are you saying people in wheelchairs are helpless?!"

"No, no sir. People in wheelchairs are more than capable of leading full lives." the doctor quickly agreed. Mentally kicking himself for the blunder he ran a hand across his face before clarifying his position. "But Sam's case is different. His muscle control problems are going to make even the easiest of tasks almost impossible. He'll have to be dressed and fed and bathed just like a newborn."

"Not a problem, doc." Dean assured the physician. "Been there, done that."

"That may be, but there's one very important difference this time; your newborn is a six ft. four bundle of frustration and anger." Dr. Walters reminded. "If you thought the little temper tantrums he threw when he was two were bad, just wait."

"Listen doc, I hear what you're saying and I appreciate the concern but I'm not changing my mind about this. Sammy is coming home when he's released from here." Dean firmly said.

Shaking his head at the stubborn young man in front of him Dr. Walters sighed. "Alright" he conceded. "But if you change your mind, just let one of the nurses know and I'll get you some brochures of the rehab facilities near your home." Standing the doctor shook the eldest Winchester's hand. "Do you have any other questions before I go?" he asked.

"Can I have some chicken nuggets?" a weak voice whispered from behind them.

"Sorry Sammy" the doctor replied smiling down at his patient. "No chicken nuggets today. But if you're a good boy and eat all your lunch and supper, I'll see to it that the nurses bring you some ice cream."

"With chocolate syrup?" Sam excitedly asked giving the older man his best puppy dog expression.

"Sure, why not?" Dr. Walters said patting his patient's blanket covered leg. "I've gotta go now Sammy but I'll be back to check on you later, okay?"

"Okay" Sam replied giving the man a dimpled grin. He watched the physician leave the room and then turned to his big brother. "Dean" he called.

"Yeah, kiddo" Dean answered taking a seat on the bed beside his sibling. "What is it?"

"I'm hungry"


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- Not sure about this one.

Previously on Supernatural- "Yeah, kiddo" Dean answered taking a seat on the bed beside his sibling. "What is it?" "I'm hungry"

SPN

Sam stared anxiously at his hospital room door. Any minute now his physical therapist Tony was going to come strolling in and another round of torture would begin. It wasn't the man himself that had the hunter dreading the sessions. The youngest Winchester actually liked the burly older man. Despite his intimidating build Tony was of the nicest most patient people Sam had ever met. He was like one of those great sports coaches you hear so much about; he could inspire you to give one hundred ten percent without yelling or berating you. Tony was most definitely not the problem. And neither was the work. After all Sam was used to tough workouts. He'd spent way too much time in John Winchester boot camp to let a little one hour therapy session bother him. No, hard work wasn't what was bothering the young man. What Sam feared was failure. He had hated that feeling when he was a kid doing his best to impress his dad, the great John Winchester, and it wasn't any easier to take now. He'd been in therapy for almost a week and so far he had done nothing but fail. He hadn't managed to control his arm movements even a little bit. They still went anywhere but where he wanted them to go. Not to mention the fact that he had a hard time keeping a grasp on objects that Tony put in his hand. Seems the only thing Sam could manage to do lately was fail. In fact he'd screwed up so badly that Dean couldn't even stand to be in the room with him anymore. As soon as it had gotten close to time for his session his big brother had made up some lame excuse and high tailed it out of the room. Not that Sam blamed him; if he could walk, he'd have taken off too. But he couldn't walk; heck he couldn't even crawl for that matter. He had been reduced to sitting in bed while other people went about taking care of his every need. He couldn't do even the simplest of tasks like feeding himself. And while he was thrilled to be rid of the catheter having Dean, and one time Ellen, help him take care of business was beyond mortifying. Maybe his dad had been right all those years ago when he…

"You okay, Sammy?" a gruff voice called startling the injured man out of his thoughts.

Jumping Sam turned looking over at Bobby in surprise. He'd forgotten the older hunter was there. "Yes sir" he quietly replied dropping his gaze to his blanket covered lap.

Huffing Bobby wheeled over to the bed. He had known this was coming as soon as Dean stepped out the door. Getting as close to the bed as he could he locked the brakes on his chair before pulling himself onto the bed beside the younger man. Reaching over the salvage owner firmly grasped the littlest Winchester's chin and tilted the boy's head up until they were face to face. "Come on champ. Tell Uncle Bobby what's wrong." He coaxed.

Sam sighed. He really didn't want to talk about what was bothering him but it looked like he didn't have a choice. The older hunter wasn't about to let it drop. Not wanting to see the expression on his surrogate father's face he closed his eyes before whispering, "Dean's dis-mad at me."

"Dean's not mad at you, Sammy." Bobby adamantly stated. "Why the h-heck would you think that?"

"'Cause he left" Sam softly replied opening his eyes revealing the saddest eyes Bobby had ever seen. "I can't make my arms work and that makes him mad so he left. He doesn't want to see his stupid little brother me…"

"Samuel Winchester, you are not stupid!" Bobby growled lightly swatting the boy's shoulder, "And I don't ever want to hear you use that word that again! Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir" Sam squeaked.

"Morning Sammy!" Tony cheerfully called as he stepped into the room. Freezing as he noticed that he had walked in on what was clearly a private moment between his patient and the boy's uncle he rubbed the back of his neck clearly uncomfortable. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's a bad time, isn't it? I'll, umm, go down to the nurses' station for a while. Just call for me when you're through."

"It's okay Tony come on in." Bobby beckoned as he lifted himself back into his wheelchair. "I was just explaining to Sammy here that he isn't stupid because he doesn't have muscle control yet. That he'll get it; he just has to give the physical therapy time to work."

"He's right, stretch." The six ft. six therapist agreed as he made his way over to the bed. "You have to give yourself time. It's kind of like learning to ride a bike; it's tough at first but eventually you get the hang of it."

"No its not" Sam petulantly argued. "Learning to ride was easy."

"Oh really?" Bobby scoffed. "Do you even remember when Dean taught you to ride?"

"Yeah" Sam replied lips curling up at the memory. "We were staying at Pastor Jim's house for a few days 'cause daddy had to work. Caleb found a bike for me at a yard sale but it didn't have no training wheels and I didn't know how to ride one of those. So Caleb and Dean took me out in the driveway and taught me how to ride."

Tony grinned at his young patient. This was the most he'd heard the kid talk all week. Knowing he needed to have Sam finish the story to make his point he asked, "And what happened the first time you tried to ride?"

"I fell." Sam simply said.

"And?" Tony prodded.

"And Dean picked me up, brushed me off, and told me to try again." Sam filled in. "I fell and fell till Pastor Jim called us in for lunch. I didn't want to try anymore 'cause my knees and hands were all scrapped up and my behind was sore from falling on it but Dean said it'd hurt Caleb's feelings if I didn't keep trying and I didn't wanna do that so I went back out. I fell a bunch of times. And daddy came home and tried to help but he wasn't a good helper. Dean said he didn't think daddy knew how to ride a bike." Hearing a muffled laugh Sam turned to look at Bobby. He knew exactly what the older man was thinking about. Smiling as the image of John Winchester and the bicycle of doom flashed through his mind he giggled.

"What's so funny, Sammy?" Bobby asked. He crossed his fingers hoping that Sam was remembering the time John tried to ride a bike because that would mean his memories were coming back.

Thinking fast Sam gave the hunter a dimpled smile. "Daddy said he'd show me how to ride. He got on my bike and tried to make it go but he fell in a sticker bush and got stickers in his butt!"

Tony chuckled. "Sounds like your brother was right, Sammy." He said. "Did your dad ever learn how to ride?" Getting a shake of Sam's head in response he asked, "What about you? Did you get the hang of it?"

"Uh huh" Sam proudly announced. "Dean and Caleb ran beside me and held onto the seat to keep me from falling and then they let go but I didn't know it and I just keep going and going and then I turned around at the bottom of the driveway and they were standing by the porch watching me."

"So it took a while but you learned to ride without training wheels, right?" Tony summed up grinning as Sammy's eyes widened in understanding as his patient caught on to the point he was trying to make.

Sam fought the urge to roll his eyes. He couldn't believe he fell for that one. But a small rational part of him told him the physical therapist was right; that he only needed to give himself time and he'd get control back. The bigger, more emotional side wasn't so sure though. Needing assurance that he really would get control back the youngest Winchester looked up at the older man and quietly asked, "Are you sure I can do it, Tony?"

"I'm positive little man. A few weeks from now you'll be back to throwing a ball with that brother of yours." Tony assured ruffling the younger man's hair. "Now what do you say we get started?"

"Okay" Sam replied nodding his head. "Let's do it."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- "Okay" Sam replied nodding his head. "Let's do it."

SPN

Dean slipped into Sam's hospital room slowly shutting the door behind him. Surprised by the silence that greeted him he looked over at the bed smiling at the peaceful expression on his little brother's face. Not wanting to disturb his sleeping sibling the oldest Winchester set the colorful cardboard box and drink he was carrying on the tray table before soundlessly creeping across the room and plopping down on the end of the couch beside a grumpy looking Bobby Singer. "How'd therapy go, Bobby? Did Sammy m…Shit! What the hell was that for?" he hissed rubbing the back of his head.

"That's for leaving and upsetting your brother!" Bobby quietly growled. "What the heck were you thinking boy?"

"Wait, Sammy got upset?" Dean asked glancing over at his sleeping brother once more.

"Oh course he did, ya idjit! What'd you expect him to do when you took off on him; dance a jig?" the salvage owner questioned slamming his hands on the armrests of his wheelchair.

"A jig?" Dean repeated raising an eyebrow. Shaking his head at the older man's glare he sighed. "Look, I'm sorry alright. I didn't mean to upset him. I was actually trying to make things easier on him. Sammy's been pushing himself way too hard; harder than dad ever did when we were training. He's trying to force his arms to work and that's just making things worse. And I know it's because of me. When we were little Sammy always thought if he didn't do something right the first time he was disappointing me. That's why he's so frustrated and angry at therapy. I just thought if I wasn't here with him, the pressure would be off and he could relax a little."

"Makes sense" Bobby agreed. "Unfortunately that's not the way Sam saw it. He thinks you left because you're mad at him for not making more progress in therapy. I tried to tell him you weren't but I'm not sure he really believed me."

"Thanks for trying Bobby. I'll set him straight as soon as he wakes up." Dean said settling back on the couch. "So, was it better without me in the room?"

"No" Bobby replied. Taking off his tattered ball cap the surrogate father began kneading the bill as he talked. "You not being there made things worse. Sammy was even more determined to get his arms working. The kid got himself so worked up he got a whopper of a headache; we had to cut the session short." Seeing the worried expression on the younger man's face the hunter quickly added, "He's alright, Dean. Nurse Georgia came in and gave him something for the pain. He's been sleeping like a baby ever since."

Closing his eyes Dean dropped his head. "This is all…"

"Boy I swear if the next two words outta your mouth are 'my fault', I'm gonna tan your hide!" Bobby growled.

Dean looked up at his friend in surprise. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally finding his voice. "Bobby, you do know I'm an adult now, don't you?" he questioned.

"And?" Bobby fired back slapping his rumpled cap back on his head.

"Nothing, just saying…"

"Yeah, well don't." Bobby grumbled. "Everything that happens to Sam is not your fault anymore than the things that happen to you are his. When are you two gonna get that through your thick skulls?"

"I'm working on it. It's just hard, you know?" Dean confessed. "I hate seeing him like this." Hearing a muffled whimper the oldest Winchester stood and made his way to the bed. Taking a seat on the edge he carded a hand through his sibling's hair. "Shhh Sammy, you're okay" he whispered. His heart swelled as his younger brother immediately calmed. It amazed him that even after everything they'd been through the past few years his touch could still sooth Sam. Of course that had more to do with the younger Winchester's injuries than anything else. The head strong Sam of the past year would never have allowed Dean to touch him let alone be calmed by it. That Sam didn't need anyone not even his big brother. He was the ultimate hunter; a force to be reckoned with. There was no trace of the gentle giant his sibling had once been. And Dean knew he was responsible for part of that. After all he was the one who'd insisted Sammy toughen up and be more self reliant in the months before his deal was up. He'd forced his little brother to grow up and fend for himself so that he'd have a fighting chance at life once Dean was gone. And he had done just that; he'd survived without him. And while part of Dean was proud of Sam for doing what he had not been strong enough to do, another more selfish part was hurt that his little brother had done so well without him. Shoving those thoughts aside Dean glanced down at his sleeping brother once more. He needed to concentrate on Sam's recovery not dwell on what used to be. Besides that hardened hunter was gone now possibly forever leaving only Sammy the little brother that needed and loved him. And that was all that mattered.

The creak of the door startled Dean out of his thoughts. Spinning around he chuckled as Ellen walked into the room carrying a huge stuffed dog. "Who's your new boyfriend, Ellen?" he joked.

The former bar owner rolled her eyes at the smirking young man. "Ha ha" she huffed. "For your information I got it to help Sammy. He loves that stuffed Eeyore but he has a hard time holding it for more than a few seconds. I thought a bigger stuffed animal might be easier for him to hold. Besides what little boy doesn't love Scooby Doo?"

"You're spoiling him Ellen." Dean warned.

"Like you're not." Ellen fired back. "I saw that bag full of toys you left at the nurse's station."

"Hey, those are not toys." Dean argued. "I got Tony to give me a list of things that might help Sammy with his muscle control. Everything in that bag is for his therapy."

"Uh huh, I'm sure that kids' computer game is gonna be a big help." The former bar owner retorted. She tiptoed over to the bed and set the plush Scooby Doo on the bed beside the injured Winchester's arm. Leaning over Ellen lovingly brushed Sam's unruly bangs out of his eyes. "He okay?"

"Yeah" Bobby replied. "He's just sleeping off the pain medication Nurse Georgia gave him a while ago. She said he'd probably be out till around supper time."

"That was some strong meds she gave him." Ellen surmised. "Was the pain that bad?"

Bobby nodded. "I haven't seen him hurting that bad since the first few days we were here. Tony said he thought it was from the stress. The kid's pushing himself too hard." He explained running a weary hand across his face. The salvage owner glanced over at his sleeping son eyes widening as a grin split his face. "Look" he excitedly whispered.

Turning Dean and Ellen glanced over at the bed mouths falling open. Holding their breath the family watched as Sam's arm slowly curled around the stuffed animal at his side.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- Holding their breath the family watched as Sam's arm slowly curled around the stuffed animal at his side.

SPN

As Sam slowly awoke he became aware of two things; his arm was wrapped around something very soft and his room was far too quiet. Cracking one eye open a slit he glanced around the room stunned to not see Dean or anyone else sitting by the bed. His breathing and heart rate increased as hazel eyes frantically darted around for any sign of his brother and their friends. After a few panic stricken moments a faint light shining under the bathroom door made the young man sigh in relief. The knowledge that his brother was still here immediately calmed him. He settled his head back on the pillow mentally berating himself for the sudden child like fear. _"Grow up Sam."_ He muttered to himself. _"You're an adult now. Dean doesn't have to sit with you 24/7_." Except that his brother always had. In fact there had only been a handful of times that Dean hadn't been at his side when he was in the hospital and the majority of those were because his brother had been injured too. And then his dad or Jim or another friend had taken up the job until Dean was able to regain his position in the plastic chairs from Hell. Sam couldn't remember a single time in his life when he'd been left alone in a hospital.

The toilet flushing startled Sam out of his thoughts. Twisting towards the bathroom door he winced as stiff muscles protested. Figuring he'd laid too long in one spot the youngest Winchester rolled onto his side to find himself face to snout with an enormous stuffed Scooby Doo. "Awww man!" Sam groaned. This was going too far. It was bad enough they treated him like a little baby. Did they really have to make him look like one, too? What was next; sippy cups?

Sam's head snapped towards the bathroom door as a loud thud sounded drowning out his thoughts. "Dean?" Sam called. Getting no response the worried young man rolled and wiggled until his legs hung off the side of the bed. Shaky hands reached up weakly grasping the bed rail as images of his brother lying hurt in the other room flashed through his mind. Fueled by fear and adrenaline Sam struggled to pull himself up. Arms shaking like saplings in a hurricane he inched his way into a sitting position. Worn out by the simple action he allowed himself a couple of seconds to catch his breath and then grabbed the rail once more. Determined to come to his brother's aid Sam gritted his teeth and slowly pushed himself to stand. Shoving the pain and dizziness to the back of his mind the youngest Winchester set his sights on the bathroom door. "Gotta help Dean." He murmured as he started to raise his right leg.

"Sammy, what the Hell do you think you're doing?" Bobby shouted as he wheeled out of the bathroom.

"U-uncle Bob-Bobby?" Sam stammered gazing at the older man in confusion.

Bobby quickly rolled over to the swaying boy. "Easy buddy. You're okay. Just take it slow. That's it. Let me help." He coached lowering the younger man to sit. Taking hold of his surrogate son's legs he carefully lifted them onto the bed. "You okay, kiddo?"

Exhausted by his little adventure Sam was more than grateful for the older hunter's help. His arms and legs ached from the strain he'd put on them and his head was spinning not to mention the fact that it felt like he was sitting in a…puddle? _"Oh crap!"_ Sam thought figuring out what had happened while he slept. _"No wonder they've been treating me like a baby! I can't believe I, I did that! What is wrong with me?"_

Seeing the look of horror that crossed the littlest Winchester's face Bobby frowned. He reached through the bed rail and gently rubbed a hand up and down the boy's arm. "Sammy, what's a matter, kiddo? Are you hurting?" he asked.

Embarrassed by his lack of control Sam dropped his gaze to his lap. He couldn't bear to see the look of disappointment on his friend's face when he admitted his slip up. "Uncle Bobby" he softly whispered, "I had an, an accident."

"An accident?" Bobby repeated eyes widening as the light suddenly came on. "OH an accident! That's, that's okay Sammy. We can take care of that. No problem." Huffing when the younger man continued to look at his blanket clad legs Bobby firmly grasped the boy's chin and tilted it up forcing Sam to meet his eyes. "Sammy, there is nothing for you to be embarrassed about. Between the pain medication and the IV you couldn't help it. Besides, it's not like you didn't something horrible. That can happen to anybody son. Heck, I've done it a few times myself since I've been in this chair."

"You have?" Sam whispered raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I have." Bobby replied smiling at the relief in the kid's eyes. "Now what do you say we get a nurse to bring you some clean sheets and clothes, huh? The faster we get this taken care of the better you'll feel." Getting a hesitant nod the hunter pressed the call button. While they waited for a nurse Bobby went ahead and took the blanket off the bed tossing it onto the couch before wheeling around the bed pulling the edges of the sheet out from under the mattress.

"Do you need something sweetie?" Nurse Georgia asked as she shuffled into the room.

"Yeah, Sammy had a little accident." Bobby informed the nurse as he continued his task. "He's gonna need clean sheets and some new pajama pants."

"We can do that. Don't you worry about a thing sweet heart. Mr. Singer and I will have you all fixed up in no time." Georgia soothed. Walking over to the closet she pulled out sheets, sleep pants, and a couple of blankets. She then went into the bathroom coming out moments later with a plastic basin, soap, and a wash cloth. "Mr. Singer I need you to fill this with warm water so Sammy can clean up a little before he changes."

"You got it" Bobby agreed. He took the offered basin and wheeled into the bathroom.

Stepping over to the bed Nurse Georgia brushed a stray bang out of Sam's face. "Okay now honey you just be still and let me do all the work." The nurse instructed as she reached for the sheet. By the time Bobby came back into the room with the basin of water the sheets had been changed and Sammy was lying on his side a blanket covering his bottom half. Taking the water filled basin she soaped up the rag and gently washed her patient keeping up a steady stream of conversation to keep Sam's mind off what she was doing. Once she finished Georgia tossed the rag in the basin and dressed Sam in clean sleep pants. "There we go, sweetie. All done." She cheerfully declared.

"Thank you" Sam mumbled burying his face into his pillow. Closing his eyes he blocked out the room and all its occupants. He wished he could just sink through the bed. This whole situation was beyond mortifying. He had never been so embarrassed and humiliated in his life. Not even the Nair incident when he was thirteen had been this bad. Dean would never let him live this down when he found out about what Sam had done. And he would. It was only a matter of time.

SPN

Dean strode into his brother's room carrying a house shaped cardboard box and a small jug of chocolate milk. He set the items on the tray table by the wall and then made his way to the couch where Bobby was waiting. "Everything okay, Bobby?" he questioned staring at his sibling's back. "I saw Nurse Georgia coming out of here with a handful of sheets just now."

"Everything's fine, Dean. Your brother just had a little bathroom accident, that's all. Nurse Georgia and I took care of it." Bobby explained. Leaning over the arm rest of his chair he added, "Don't go teasing the kid. Sammy was pretty upset about it."

Nodding his agreement Dean rubbed the back of his neck as he gazed at his hiding brother. He had no idea how to deal with this situation. He knew with Sammy's current state of mind his usual method was out of the question; jokes would just upset the kid more. And he didn't think the standard mom and dad lines would work either; Little Sammy had never bought those. So what was left? Maybe if he just ignored it? Or maybe a distraction was the way to go? Hmm, which one was the right one? He scratched his temple mentally weighing the pros and cons of each approach. _"Heck, I'll just do both. That way I'm sure to get it right."_ Dean thought with a grin. Giving Bobby a thumbs up the eldest Winchester walked around to the other side of the bed and took a seat. "Sammy" he called patting the injured man on the back. "Come on buddy, look at me. I know you're not sleeping."

Sam didn't move a muscle.

Dean sighed. _"Time for the big guns."_ He thought. "Sammy you take your head outta that pillow and look at me right now before I spank you." Dean ordered in his best John Winchester voice. He smiled as a pair of wide hazel eyes peered up at him. "There you are. Think you can come the rest of the way out? I have a surprise for you." Dean bribed.

Sam stared at Dean searching for any sign of amusement or disappointment or a mixture of the two. Finding none he slowly turned to face his big brother. He looked at Dean wondering what the big deal was. After a few moments of waiting his curiosity got the better of him. "What kind of surprise?" he asked.

"This" Dean simply replied pulling the tray table with the Happy Meal over to the bed. "I thought you deserved your favorite supper for all the hard work you've been doing."

"Cool! Thanks Dean!" Sam excitedly said breaking into a dimpled grin at the idea of a good tasting meal for once.

"Hey Dean" Bobby called from his spot by the window. "Sammy's got a surprise for you too."

"I do?" Sam asked cocking his head to one side.

"Yeah, remember what you did while I was in the bathroom?" Bobby prodded.

Sam went over the events of the last hour in his mind. He didn't recall doing anything special when Bobby was in the other room. He'd just laid there until he heard that noise and then he had…His thoughts ground to a halt as the realization of what he had done finally hit him. Grinning from ear to ear Sam looked up at his brother and proudly stated, "Dean, I moved my arms!"


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- Grinning from ear to ear Sam looked up at his brother and proudly stated, "Dean, I moved my arms!"

SPN

"You, you moved y-your a-arms?" Dean stammered, dropping onto the edge of the bed. "Sammy, do you mean you controlled your movements?"

"Uh huh" Sam happily replied. "Watch" Staring down at his right hand, the younger Winchester concentrated with all his might.

Dean held his breath as he watched Sammy struggle to move his resisting arm. The stubborn set of the younger man's jaw told the oldest Winchester that his brother was determined to force the limb into motion. Crossing his fingers behind his back he silently willed the injured man's hand to move, knowing that one intentional movement, no matter how small, would send Sammy's faltering self confidence soaring. And then nothing would stop him from regaining full control. It was just like when Sammy had learned to tie his shoes. The kid had been adamant that he'd never be able to do it by himself. But once he clumsily tied them that first time, the littlest Winchester had tied and untied his shoes for hours until he had the knot and loops just right. It would be the same with this. He was sure of it.

Bobby worriedly watched the injured hunter's struggle from his spot by the couch. He knew that this is what Sam needed. But after the physical exertion from earlier, the kid had to be worn out. The boy barely had enough energy to keep his eyes open as it was. Bobby's brow furrowed as he noticed the sweat beading on Sam's brow and the slight tremors coursing through the younger man. The strain was obviously too much for Sammy's exhausted body. Deciding he needed to put a stop to the littlest Winchester's efforts before the kid hurt himself, Bobby swiftly wheeled over to the bed. The junk yard owner opened his mouth to order the boy to stop only to freeze as Sammy's hand shakily rose off the bed. It slowly and jerkily covered the tiny space between the two boys before dropping onto the elder Winchester's knee.

"Sammy! You did it, kiddo!" Dean whooped, a grin splitting his face.

"But, Dean I only moved it a little." Sammy dejectedly stated.

"That's okay, buddy." Dean assured his sibling. "You moved your arm. That's all that matters."

"Your brother's right, Little Bit" Bobby agreed. "You'll move it more next time. Your body's just worn from that little stunt you pulled earlier."

"Stunt?" Dean questioned curiously. "What exactly did he do?"

"Your brother somehow managed to climb outta bed." Bobby informed a stunned Dean. "Dang near gave me a heart attack when I wheeled outta the bathroom and saw him standing there."

"St-standing? Sammy was…" Dean stammered. The older man looked down at the injured hunter, grinning from ear to ear. "You did all that by yourself? I am so proud of you, buddy." Dean leaned down and gently hugged his brother. Frowning as a sudden thought hit him, he pulled back a little so he could look Sam in the eye. "But what made you get out of bed, Sammy?"

Sammy glanced between his brother and uncle before dropping his gaze to his lap. "I uh, I heard a loud bang in the bathroom and I thought you'd gotten hurt." He confessed.

Feeling both Winchesters' eyes turn on him, Bobby shifted in his chair. "Yeah I kinda backed into the wall on my way to the sink." He explained, turning red. "Sorry I scared you, Sammy."

"You ran into the wall?" Dean chuckled.

"Shut up" Bobby gruffly retorted as he tried and failed to hide a smile. Seeing Sammy yawning out of the corner of his eye, the salvage owner cleared his throat garnering the eldest Winchester's attention. "Dean, I think you better give Sammy that treat you brought him before he conks out on us."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Dean stated. He hurried over to the tray table and wheeled it over to the bed. "Here you go, Sammy."

A dimpled grin spread over Sam's face as he gazed at the treat his brother had gotten him. _"Finally, some good food for a change." _He thought, watching Dean pull the chicken nugget box and fries out of the container. "Thanks, Dean" he excitedly said.

"Anytime, little brother" Dean replied. Picking up a nugget, he dipped it in BBQ sauce and held it out to Sam. "Now, come on and eat before it gets cold."

Knowing the boys wanted some time alone, Bobby quietly wheeled across the room and out the door. He'd go down to the cafeteria to eat. And then maybe hit the gift shop before heading back. Feeling lighter than he had in months, Bobby wheeled down the hallway. Things were finally looking up for his family.

Three Days Later

Sam wearily laid his head down on his pillow. Between the morning's therapy and getting dressed he was exhausted. The only thing he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep, but that was out of the question. Any minute, the doctor was going to come in and release him and he'd need to be awake to help get himself out of bed and into the impala. Then he'd sleep all the way to Bobby's place. Or he hoped he would at least. His whole body ached from the workout Tony had put him through that morning and he didn't think riding in the classic Chevy was going to help any.

"Sammy, you okay sweetie?" Ellen asked, taking a seat beside him on the bed.

"Yes ma'am" Sam replied resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He was really starting to hate being treated like a little kid. _"But this was what Dean wants." _He reminded himself. He'd thought that his brother would get tired of having little Sammy around; that he would miss the adult Sam after a while. And it looked like that had happened a couple of days ago. Dean had looked sad that day and he'd kept glancing over at Sam with this odd expression on his face. He'd even overheard Dean telling Bobby that "he missed him". Sam had really thought that his days of being little Sammy were over but he was wrong. Turned out Dean and Bobby were reminiscing about their dad on what would have been his birthday. Sam had still considered breaking out of his little kid image. If Dean missed their dad, he surely missed him too, right? Not. A few minutes later, Dean had actually told Bobby that while he hated the fact that Sam had gotten hurt, he was actually happy that Sam was little Sammy again instead of the hard core hunter he'd been since Dean had come back from Hell. Bobby had whacked him over the head with his cap, of course. But the damage had already been done. Sam had gotten the message loud and clear: his brother didn't want him, he wanted little Sammy. And this was one time Sam was going to make sure Dean got what he wanted. The creaking of the door drew Sam out of his thoughts. Glancing over and seeing the doctor, the young man pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and relaxed back against the bed. He was finally going home.

SPN

"Dean, are you sure you won't change your mind? There's a top notch rehab facility a few miles from your uncle's house. He could get the help he needs and you could still see him every day." Dr. Walters suggested. "We could have him flown there first thing in the morning. What do you say, Dean?"

"The answer's still no, doc."Dean adamantly stated. "Sammy's going home with us."

"Alright, but take this in case you change your mind." The doctor replied, handing the young man the rehab center's business card.

Dean pocketed the card, knowing he'd never use it. "Thanks doc." He said. "So is Sammy good to go, now?"

"Just about. I want to give him a sh-injection of pain medication before you leave. Sitting in the car for a long period of time is going to be murder on his injuries." Dr. Walters told Dean, as he opened the door. "Be back in a minute. I thought I'd give you a heads up before I walked in with the syringe and freaked the kid out."

Sam closed his eyes as the doctor walked out of the room. The last few weeks had been filled with one embarrassing moment after another. But this one was going to top them all. Sighing, he tried to prepare himself for what was to come. It wasn't the shot that bothered him. He might not like them, but he was an adult, he could handle it. But he was supposed to be little Sammy and little Sammy hated needles. Memories of his dad and Dean holding him down while doctors gave him a shot flashed through his mind. This was not going to be fun. Hearing the door creak, Sam opened his eyes and watched as Dr. Walters and Dean headed his way.

Dean nodded to Bobby before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Sammy, the doctor needs to give you some medicine before we leave, okay?" he asked.

'_Showtime'_ Sam thought as Bobby and Dr. Walters took up their spots on the opposite side of the bed from Dean. "What kind of medicine?" he innocently questioned. Looking up and spotting the syringe in the doctor's hand, the young man widened his eyes and shouted, "NO! No, shot!"

Grabbing Sam's shoulders, Dean gently turned the struggling man onto his side. He wrapped his arms around his little brother and drew him into his chest. "Shhh, it's okay, Sammy" he murmured. He kept a tight hold on his sibling as the doctor lowered the boy's sweat pants and boxers and injected the medication into his hip. "Shhh, it's alright buddy. You're okay." He whispered, rubbing circles in Sam's back as he slowly began to rock his upset sibling. He mumbled reassurances and rocked until the sobbing stopped and the littlest Winchester's breathing evened out in sleep. Dean eased himself off the bed and shakily stood. Staring down at his sleeping brother, he jumped as the door burst open.

"What the Hell is going on in here? We could hear Sammy yelling all the way down the hall?" the newcomer growled as he stormed into the room.

"Josh? Rufus? Vonnie?" Bobby gasped as the three friends made their way to the bed. "What are you guys doing here?"

Joshua stared down at the sleeping Winchester for a few minutes. Finally, deciding that the kid was alright, he turned to his old friend. "Rufus and I got back from a hunt a couple of days ago and found your messages on the answering machine. I figured with the injuries Sammy had, he'd need a vehicle he could stretch out in when he got released so I called Vonnie to ask about borrowing the RV." He explained.

"And once I heard what happened to Sam, there was no way I was staying home." Vonnie added. "I took a few days off work, jumped in the RV with these two, and hit the road."

"Man, am I glad you guys are here." Dean said, walking over and hugging Vonnie.

"So, you wanna tell us what's going on?" Joshua questioned glancing from Dean to Bobby and back. "Why was Sammy screaming like a little kid just now?"

Dean sighed. "One thing at a time, Josh. Let's get Sammy safely tucked away in the RV and I'll explain everything, okay?"

"You got it, Dean." Josh agreed, turning as a nurse entered the room with a gurney.

They waited for the nurse to roll the gurney up to the bed and set the brakes. And then Dean, Josh, and Rufus easily transferred Sam from his bed to the gurney. Taking up positions on both sides of the sleeping Winchester the family of hunters slowly rolled their youngest member out of the room. They were finally going home.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- Just a word of warning. I'm having surgery Wednesday so I'm not sure when I'll be up to updating.

Previously on Supernatural- Taking up positions on both sides of the sleeping Winchester the family of hunters slowly rolled their youngest member out of the room. They were finally going home.

SPN

"So you're saying Sam is acting like little Sammy because of the head injury?" Josh incredulously questioned.

"Not exactly" Dean replied. Leaning back against the counter, he peered into the small bedroom to check on his sleeping sibling and then turned back to the others. "The doc said he thinks it's a mixture of the head injury and some weird a$$ amnesia that has Sammy acting like a little kid."

"So how do we get Sam back?" Josh asked.

"There isn't a quick fix for amnesia. Some people regain their memories in a few days or weeks while others live the rest of their lives without remembering anything." Vonnie explained. "Being around familiar people and places sometimes helps amnesia victims recall events but it doesn't always work."

"This is bad, guys" Rufus stated shaking his head.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Dean sarcastically shot back.

"You don't understand, kid. There's been rumors floating around the past few weeks." Rufus clarified. "Folks are saying Sammy boy started the apocalypse; that he needs to be…"

"Dang it, Rufus!" Bobby yelled. "Don't you know better than to listen to a bunch of drunken hunters gossiping?"

"Did I say I believed it?" Rufus huffed. "Geez, chill out, you old fool. I may not be as book smart as some folks here, but I'm not an idiot. I know that sixty-six seals have to be broken before Lucifer can be freed and I doubt any human could break all that many singlehandedly. Angels would take them out before they broke more than a few. Besides, no one even knows what the seals are, except for one; the first one. And I'm 99% positive the kid didn't break that one. Unless Sammy made a little detour to Hell that I don't know about."

Dean flinched as he realized the older hunter was right. He'd been laying the blame for releasing the Devil solely at Sam's feet, ignoring everything else. Sam had killed Lilith breaking the last seal but it was just that; the last of sixty-six seals. Sure Sammy was partially responsible for Lucifer's freedom but so were the demons and angels, and even Dean himself. How could he have forgotten that? What was he g…a jab to his side startled the oldest Winchester out of his thoughts. "Huh?" he mumbled, staring over at Bobby.

"Welcome back, did you have a nice trip?" Bobby greeted, smirking at the look on the boy's face.

"Cute, Bobby" Dean grumbled.

"Hate to break this up guys, but I've gotta be hitting the road. Got a date with a werewolf a couple of states over." Rufus told the others. He stood from the couch and walked over to the door. Opening the RV's door, he turned back to the group of hunters. "I'll keep my ears to the ground. Anything comes up I'll give you a buzz."

"Thanks man" Josh said, patting the veteran hunters back. "Guess we should take off too."

"That's a good idea. I wanna be on the road before Little Bit wakes up." Bobby stated. Taking off his tattered ball cap, he ran a hand through his thinning hair. "I'm guessing I'm riding in this contraption since you went to all the trouble of hauling me in here. But where are the rest of you yahoos riding?"

Dean swiftly pulled out the keys to his baby and tossed them to Josh. "You and Ellen take the impala. Bobby, Vonnie, and I will ride in the RV."

"You sure, Dean?" Ellen questioned.

"Yeah" Dean replied. "Just be careful with her."

"You got it, boy" Josh agreed. Dangling the keys at eye level, he hurried to the door. "Dibs on the driver's seat!" he called as he bounded out the door.

Rolling her eyes, Ellen stood and slowly made her way to the door. "This is going to be a fun trip." She groaned.

"Oh come on Ellen, it won't be that bad." Bobby chuckled.

"Bobby, this is Josh we're talking about. Don't you remember the harpy hunt a couple of years ago?" the Harvelle woman inquired.

"What harpy hu…oh yeah" Bobby muttered, grimacing at the memory. "Good luck, Ellen."

"I'll need it." Ellen stated before walking out the RV's door.

"Do I want to know?" Dean asked, eyeing the hunters getting into the classic Chevy parked in front of them.

"Probably not" Bobby honestly replied. Seeing the boy frown, the surrogate father decided to redirect the young man's attention before he changed his mind about the driving arrangements. "Okay, let's get this show on the road. Who's driving?"

"I will" Dean volunteered. "Sammy's gonna sleep for a few hours anyway."

"Good, that should give Bobby and I just enough time." Vonnie speculated.

"Time to what?" Bobby asked. "In case you hadn't noticed there ain't a whole Hell of a lot I can do."

"Afraid you're wrong about that." Vonnie proclaimed as she shuffled into the kitchen area of the RV. "You, my dear man, have one of the most important jobs on the trip."

"And what would that be?" Bobby cautiously questioned.

"Why making the food of course!" Vonnie informed the surprised man. Pulling bowls, spoons, and measuring cups out of a cupboard, she quickly set them out on the small table and then walked over to the refrigerator. "See, I remember a certain someone being a picky eater when he's sick. So, we stopped at the grocery store just inside town and picked up all the ingredients for your famous hash brown casserole. And since little Sammy always said his Uncle Bobby was the best cook ever, you get the job of fixing it."

"He said that?" Bobby asked the surprise clear in his voice.

"Repeatedly" Vonnie told the older hunter. "So, what do you say? You up for a little cooking?"

"Sure" Bobby agreed grinning from ear to ear. He wheeled over to the table and set the wheelchair's brakes before hauling himself out of the chair and onto the bench seat. "But only if you help."

"I'd be honored." Vonnie said. She slid into the seat across from the salvage owner and waited for his instructions.

Dropping into the driver's seat, Dean twisted around to the front and stuck the key in the ignition. He revved the engine a few times before slowly driving through of the parking lot. Turning left, he headed towards Bobby's place. It was time to go home.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Warning- If you are not a bi-bro fan, turn back now. This story is not for you. This one has a happy ending with the brotherly bond firmly back in place. Neither brother is going to walk out on the other and refuse to forgive him. Both brothers have done things they shouldn't have. (even though they did them for what they thought were the right reasons.) Neither one is all innocent or all guilty. And neither one is solely responsible for starting the Apocalypse. It took the breaking of 66 seals to do that.(not one) Of those, Sam broke one and Dean broke one. And before my inbox gets inundated with PM's telling me Dean didn't know he was breaking a seal, I know he didn't. But neither did Sam. Dean, Sam, and Bobby all thought killing Lilith would stop the Apocalypse not be the last seal to break.

One last remark- Any flames will be given all the consideration they deserve, i.e. they will be immediately trashed.

AN- to anyone still reading, please excuse my little rant. I just needed to clear a few things up. Hope you enjoy the chapter and thank you for sticking with me and this story.

Previously on Supernatural-Turning left, he headed towards Bobby's place. It was time to go home.

SPN

Sam slowly awoke, smiling as a delicious aroma teased his senses. Licking his lips, he dropped onto his back only to bite back a yelp as his sore backside made itself known. Eyes shooting open, the young man rocked back and forth on the bed until he managed to roll back onto his side. He muttered curses as he struggled to move a hand back to rub the injured area. _'Dr. Walters may be a great at fixing head injuries but he really needs a refresher course on giving shots.' _Sam thought with a grimace. Slowly becoming aware of the gentle movement of his bed, he glanced around the room, surprised to find himself in Vonnie's RV. He didn't remember hearing Dean or Bobby saying anything about having the mobile home at the hospital. He thought they had said he was riding in the impala. He must have been more out of it than he thought.

"Well, look who's awake" Bobby exclaimed as he wheeled through the doorway. "About time you woke up, champ. I was starting to think you were going to sleep through supper."

'_Supper?'_ Sam thought. Just how long had he slept?

Seeing the confusion on Sam's face, Bobby quickly rolled over and put a hand on the boy's arm. "It's okay, Sammy. That shot the doc gave you made you sleep for a while." he assured the littlest Winchester.

Nodding, Sam fell back into his little Sammy role. He gazed around the room for a moment and then asked, "Uncle Bobby, where are we?"

"You're in Nurse Vonnie's RV, Little Bit." Bobby replied. "When Vonnie and your Uncle Josh found out you were hurt, they came to visit you. And Dean and I thought you'd be more comfortable in the RV than the impala."

"We're really in a RV?" Sam gasped, the awe clear in his voice. "Me and Dean always wanted to ride in one. Dean even makes up stories about me and him and daddy going to the Grand Canyon in our own RV. Do you think we could go to the Grand Canyon in this one?"

"How about we get you better first?" the salvage owner countered.

"Okay" Sam agreed, giving the older man a dimpled grin.

"Good. Now that that's settled, let's see about getting some food into you." Bobby told the boy.

"Somebody say food?" Dean inquired as he walked into the room balancing a full tray. Going over to the bed, he set the tray on the small night stand before helping his brother sit up against the headboard. Picking up the tray, the older brother went around the bed and sat down. He scooted over till his shoulder bumped Sam's and then set the tray across both their legs.

Sensing that the boys needed some time alone, Bobby backed away from the bed. "I'm gonna go eat out there. Vonnie's going to need me to help mediate between Josh and Ellen after all that time cooped up in the car together. You boys holler if you need something." He muttered as he turned and quickly wheeled out of the room.

"Thanks Bobby" Dean called. Turning his attention back to his little brother, he asked, "Think you can handle the spoon if I help you?"

"I can do it, Dean" Sam replied. Staring down at his hand, he concentrated on moving it the short distance to the tray. His hand shook for a moment before slowly rising and inching towards its goal. When it finally dropped onto the tray several minutes later, Sam was grinning from ear to ear.

"Good job, kiddo!" Dean praised as he picked up the spoon and carefully placed it in his sibling's hand. Covering Sam's hand with his own, he guided the utensil to the plate and scooped up a small bit of casserole. He then helped lift the food filled spoon to his Sammy's mouth. It probably wasn't the best or fastest way to feed his sasquatch of a brother but if the kid wanted to do it, Dean was more than willing to let him. After all, he was going to need all the confidence he could get for the long recovery he had ahead of him.

Sam was able to struggle through a few more spoonfuls before he had to stop. He didn't want to admit defeat but he knew he couldn't do anymore with his arm shaking off.

And Dean obviously knew that too because he carefully uncurled Sam's fingers and settled his hand back on his lap. "I got this, buddy. You just sit back and relax and let me do all the work. Okay?"

"Okay" Sam sighed. He really hated having to be dependent on Dean and the others for every little thing. Dean spent his whole childhood taking care of him. He shouldn't have to do that now. Unfortunately, there was nothing Sam could do about the situation at the moment. He couldn't do much of anything for himself right now. So he swallowed his pride and obediently opened his mouth as his brother continued to feed him.

Noticing the thoughtful expression on his little brother's face, Dean frowned. "What's going on in that big brain of yours, Sammy?" he asked as he took a bite of his own supper.

"I was just thinking." Sam said, shaking his head when Dean offered him another spoonful of casserole.

"Oh, yeah? Wanna tell me what you were thinking about?" the older hunter questioned. Picking up the tray, he set it on the night stand before turning back to his sibling.

"I was thi- *yawn* thinking about that RV story you used to tell me." Sam mumbled. "Would you, *yawn* tell me that one?"

"Uhh, yeah sure, kiddo" Dean answered with a nod. "But first let's get your meds into you and get you lying down again." Taking the pill bottle off the tray, he shook a pill into his hand. He put the bottle back, grabbed Sam's juice, and helped the younger man swallow the medication. He then rearranged the pillows and settled Sammy so he was lying of his side. Sitting beside his sibling, Dean scooted down the bed a little. He wrapped an arm around Sam and pulled him closer, resting the boy's head on his chest. "Okay, let's see" he began as he racked his brain for the long buried story Sam mentioned. "Umm, once upon a time Sammy Winchester entered a coloring contest at a big mall. Everybody in the whole school colored pictures for the contest but they didn't stand a chance. Sammy won by a landslide cause he was the best colorer. He stayed in the lines and everything. So Sammy's dad, John, and his big brother Dean took Sammy to the mall to get his prize. And guess what his prize was?"

"Toys?" Sam asked around a yawn.

"That's right! Sammy won a buggy full of toys and the biggest RV anyone had ever seen!" Dean narrated. "And then the Winchesters got in the RV and headed west! John drove while the boys played and watched movies all day. And at night, the three would eat smores and tell ghost stories till they fell asleep. It took them a whole week to get to their destination but they finally made it to the Grand Canyon. And then the fun really began."

SPN

"Dean" Bobby called as he wheeled into the room, "you about ready to…" he stopped as he took in the scene in front of him. It had been a long time since he'd seen Sammy lying snuggled into Dean's side like that. Chuckling, he quietly pulled his cell phone out of his shirt pocket and snapped a couple of photos before backing out of the room so his boys could rest. Everything else could wait.

AN- I know it's not much but it's the best I can do right now.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Warning- If you are not a bi-bro fan, turn back now. This story is not for you. This one has a happy ending with the brotherly bond firmly back in place. Neither brother is going to walk out on the other and refuse to forgive him. Both brothers have done things they shouldn't have. (even though they did them for what they thought were the right reasons.) Neither one is all innocent or all guilty. And neither one is solely responsible for starting the Apocalypse. It took the breaking of 66 seals to do that.(not one) Of those, Sam broke one and Dean broke one. And before my inbox gets inundated with PM's telling me Dean didn't know he was breaking a seal, I know he didn't. But neither did Sam. Dean, Sam, and Bobby all thought killing Lilith would stop the Apocalypse not be the last seal to break.

One last remark- Any flames will be given all the consideration they deserve, i.e. they will be immediately trashed.

AN- First, a huge thank you to everyone reading this chapter. Thanks for sticking with me through all these long months of waiting. I am still working on this one. It's just coming along extremely slowly. This is a WIP, not a finished story that I'm posting so please be patient with me.

Previously on Supernatural- "Dean" Bobby called as he wheeled into the room, "you about ready to…" he stopped as he took in the scene in front of him. It had been a long time since he'd seen Sammy lying snuggled into Dean's side like that. Chuckling, he quietly pulled his cell phone out of his shirt pocket and snapped a couple of photos before backing out of the room so his boys could rest. Everything else could wait.

SPN

Dean sighed as he turned onto the Singer Salvage driveway late in the evening. After two grueling days of driving, they were finally home and he couldn't be happier. While he usually loved the open road and the feeling of freedom that came with it, Vonnie's RV left a lot to be desired. The eldest Winchester was more than ready to get out of the uncomfortable piece of crap. The hard to maneuver monstrosity had nothing on his smooth riding baby.

One good thing had come out of the drive though; he had had plenty of time to think. Dean had spent a large part of his driving time mulling over the conversation with Rufus and it hadn't taken him long to come to the conclusion that the older hunter was right. The blame for starting the Apocalypse did not rest solely on his little brother's shoulders. Yes, Sam had broken the last seal, but it was the last one. What about the sixty-four others that the demons and probably some angels broke? Sammy had nothing to do with those. Heck, when the kid killed Lilith, he thought he was stopping the Apocalypse, not starting it. And thinking back on that time brought up another point. Just how did Sam get out of the panic room in the first place? Dean knew Bobby would never have let him out and there was no way a demon could have touched the doors. Which left only one group; the angels. Zach must have sent one of his flunkies to open the door after he'd zapped Dean to the green room. The jerk did say he would give Sammy the nudge he needed to make sure he did what they wanted. He guessed that nudge had been opening the door. Or maybe they did something to the message Dean sent Sam right before it happened. He wouldn't put it past old Zach. And considering how his brother flinched at the mere mention of it, it made perfect sense. He'd have to have a nice, long talk with Sam about that. If he ever got Sam back, that is. 'Not if, when' Dean mentally corrected. He loved little Sammy to death, but he was really starting to miss adult Sam. He wanted his sasquatch back. And he would get him back. He was sure of it. It was just gonna take some time, that's all. And then when Sam was 100% fighting fit mentally and physically, they were going to sit down and have that talk. He was gonna make…

"Penny for your thoughts" Vonnie offered, snickering as the oldest Winchester startled.

Dean glanced up at Vonnie as he stopped the RV right in front of Bobby's porch. "Huh?" he asked.

Vonnie took a seat beside the hunter. "I said a penny for your thoughts." She repeated. "You looked like you were trying to figure out how to solve all the world's ills."

"Not all" Dean corrected, swiveling his chair around to face his friend. "Just one problem I need to solve to make my world right and that's getting my grown brother back to his adult self."

"You will, Dean. It's just going to take a little time. Once Sam realizes his safe with his family, he'll go back to his old, lovable self." The nurse assured the worried Winchester.

"Now see, that right there is what's bugging me. I've protected him since dad laid baby Sammy in my arms that night. If there's anything Sam should feel with me it's safe." Dean told her.

"Dean, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant…"

"I know" the eldest Winchester interrupted. "But that doesn't make it untrue. The doc said he thought the amnesia could be partly a result of what was happening before the beating; that Sam's subconscious was trying to protect him from something bad that happened. And I think he's right about that. I think Sam's subconscious picked this particular age for a reason. When Sammy was little, he could do no wrong in my eyes. Sure I got ticked with him from time to time, but I could never stay mad at the little guy. All he had to do was look at me with those big puppy eyes of his and I'd cave. Didn't matter what he'd done. I remember one time when he was six Sam took this really wicked looking pocket knife dad gave me for my birthday. He wasn't trying to be mean or anything; he just wanted to show it to his friends. Anyway, he takes it to the park and has his little show and tell session. Everything goes fine until one of the kids jerk of an older brother shows up with his posse. He takes one look at the custom made knife and decides he should have it. So he knocks Sammy down and snitches it. Sam comes home all upset but all he'll tell me is some big boy pushed him down. He doesn't say a word about my knife; not even a couple of hours later when he sees me searching for it. Sam didn't admit to taking the knife until dad got home and threatened to tan my hide for losing a valuable piece of hunting equipment. As soon as dad put his hand on my shoulder, Sammy burst into tears and the whole story came tumbling out. I was so mad at him, I couldn't see straight. Didn't talk to him for days after that. But then I get to school one day and find a note in my lunch bag from the kid telling me how sorry he was and asking if I was gonna hate him forever. That was all it took. I left my lunch sitting there and found Sammy; told him that I might be mad but I could never hate him. I told him he was my little brother and that there was nothing he could ever do that would make me hate him. I promised him that I'd always love him, no matter what. And I kept that promise until this past year."

"Dean, you didn't…"

"Yes, I did." Dean vehemently stated. "I let angels and demons convince me to destroy the bond between me and Sam."

"Honey, that wasn't all your doing. From what Bobby's told me, Sam shoulders just as much blame as you do. And the demons and angels are more at fault than either or you. You both were tricked and manipulated into doing what they wanted you to do." Vonnie pointed out. "There was nothing you could do to stop it."

"That's where you're wrong. There is something I could have done. I could have believed in my brother." Dean corrected. "Sam may have been doing the wrong thing but I should have realized he had a good reason. Sammy has a bad habit of doing all the wrong things for the right reasons. I should have remembered that. It would have saved us all a lot of heartache."

"Okay, that's enough. You have to stop this, Dean. Blaming yourself for something you had no control over isn't going to help Sam now." Vonnie firmly stated. Seeing the young man start to object, she silenced him with a look. "I mean it. You can't change the past. It happened. You have to move on. Stop thinking about what you could have done and start thinking about what you need to do now."

"That's some mighty good advice. I'd listen to her if I were you." Josh said from behind the pair.

"He's right, Dean" Ellen chimed in.

"I know" Dean agreed. "And I will. It's just hard, you know?"

"We know, kid. We know." Josh said, patting the younger man's shoulder. "Now if we're through with this Oprah moment, can we please get a move on? I'd like to get Sam out of this RV and settled in bed sometime in this century."

"Alright, alright. Geez, it sounds like somebody needs a nap" Dean quipped as he climbed out of the driver's seat. Ducking the swat that came his way, he grinned at his friend before walking over to the chair by the door where Bobby was waiting. "You ready to get outta here, Old Man?"

"I'd watch it if I were you, boy. I may be old but I can still kick your a$$." Bobby scoffed, crossing his arms. "Got it?"

"Got it. No more teasing the grumpy old men" Dean said, smirking at the 'smarta$$ idgit' Bobby muttered. Taking up his position on one side of the injured hunter, the eldest Winchester slid one arm around the man's back and the other under his knees. He waited for Josh to get in position and give the signal before lifting Bobby. The two carefully carried him down the RV steps and deposited him in his waiting wheelchair. They then went back inside for Sam. Maneuvering the tall, lanky man out of the RV and into a second wheelchair was much harder but they managed to complete the task without waking the sleeping boy. Once Sam was comfortably settled, Dean walked around behind the chair. He grabbed the handles and slowly wheeled his little brother up the ramp and into Bobby's house. Pushing Sam into the living room, Dean did a double take. The small room had been totally rearranged! The sparse furniture had been shoved to the side or taken out completely to accommodate the large hospital bed now resting in the middle of the room. "What the…how did...who did all this?"

"Jensen and Shelby wanted to help so they set this up while we were gone. Shelby even talked her new boyfriend, Jared into helping them." Vonnie replied. "They were going to put it in the upstairs bedroom but they thought it might be easier for Sam to be on the ground floor. I hope you guys don't mind."

"Vonnie, this is, this is great! Thank you." Dean said, hugging the young nurse.

"Yeah, thanks Vonnie. And tell Jensen and Shelby and her friend thank you for us, too." Bobby said.

"I will. Now what do you say we get Sammy tucked into his new bed?" Vonnie suggested.

"Good idea" Josh stated. He pushed the chair a little closer to the bed and helped Dean wrangle his sleeping brother onto the bed before stepping back to let the elder Winchester do his thing.

Dean gently pulled the blanket up to Sam's chin and tucked it securely around him. Leaning over, he brushed a stray bang out of the younger man's eyes. "Have a good nap, kiddo" he whispered. He lightly patted his brother's chest before standing and walking the couple of steps to the recliner. The hunter scooted the chair even closer to the bed and then tiredly sank down onto it. Reaching across the space between the two pieces of furniture, Dean grasped his little brother's hand and settled in for an evening of Sammy watching.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Warning- If you are not a bi-bro fan, turn back now. This story is not for you. This one has a happy ending with the brotherly bond firmly back in place. Neither brother is going to walk out on the other and refuse to forgive him. Both brothers have done things they shouldn't have. (even though they did them for what they thought were the right reasons.) Neither one is all innocent or all guilty. And neither one is solely responsible for starting the Apocalypse. It took the breaking of 66 seals to do that.(not one) Of those, Sam broke one and Dean broke one. And before my inbox gets inundated with PM's telling me Dean didn't know he was breaking a seal, I know he didn't. But neither did Sam. Dean, Sam, and Bobby all thought killing Lilith would stop the Apocalypse not be the last seal to break.

One last remark- Any flames will be given all the consideration they deserve, i.e. they will be immediately trashed.

Previously on Supernatural- Reaching across the space between the two pieces of furniture, Dean grasped his little brother's hand and settled in for an evening of Sammy watching.

SPN

Dean shuffled into the kitchen and headed straight for the coffee pot on the far counter. Snagging a mug out of a cabinet, he quickly poured himself a cup and took a large gulp. He sighed contentedly savoring the taste of his favorite drink. After guzzling the whole mug full and pouring another, the eldest Winchester trudged over to the table and took a seat, wincing as his sore muscles made themselves known. Setting his coffee down, he carefully twisted and stretched to work out the kinks.

"Dang boy, I ain't heard that much popping since the last time I made a bowl of popcorn." Bobby commented with a chuckle.

"You can make popcorn. I'm impressed." Dean shot back.

"Smart ass" Bobby grumbled, aiming a half-hearted swat at the back of the boy's head. Rolling back from the table, he wheeled over to the stove and grabbed a paper plate. The grizzled hunter piled the dish with bacon, eggs, sausage, and hash browns and brought it over to the table, setting it in front of the elder Winchester. "There's more where that came from." He advised, grinning as Dean started scarfing down the home cooked meal.

Dean groaned appreciatively as he practically inhaled his food. Cleaning his plate in record time, he hurried over to the stove and loaded up once more.

"Leave some for your brother." Bobby lightly reprimanded. "He still asleep?"

"Yeah, I wanna give him another half hour before I wake him up." Dean replied, pausing to take a sip of his coffee. "He's got a long day ahead of him and he'll need all the energy he can get to make it through."

"Oh, so what's on the agenda for today?" Bobby inquired.

"Agenda?" Dean repeated curiously.

"Excuse me for using big words. I forgot who I was talking to for a minute. Here let me put it in a way you'll understand." Bobby said. Flipping his hat around so that the bill was in the back, he shouted, "Yo, Dawg! Waz uuup!"

Dean snorted, choking as a piece of the sausage he was chewing went down the wrong way.

Cursing under his breath, Bobby wheeled around the table and behind Dean. "Whoa there boy!" the salvage owner exclaimed, pounding the younger man on the back.

Leaning over the table, Dean banged on his chest with his fist as he struggled to breathe. Finally dislodging the bit of meat, he spit it onto the table and shakily picked up his coffee mug. He took a tiny sip and then dragged in a gasping breathe. "D-d-du" he stammered, a cough cutting into his speech. Taking another sip of coffee, the elder Winchester took several wheezing breaths before attempting to speak again. "D-dude! A l-little w-w-warning next t-time." He rasped.

"Sorry son, I'll try to work on my timing." Bobby apologized, handing his surrogate son a glass of water.

"Th-thanks" Dean stammered. He took a few cautious sips before blowing out a long breathe. "That sucked."

"I couldn't agree more." Bobby muttered.

Dean took one last swig of his coffee and then started back on his food, slowly this time. He carefully chewed up a spoonful before turning to look at his old friend. "To answer your question, I've gotta get Sammy up, bathed, dressed, and fed before ten. He's got his first appointment at the rehab facility in town at eleven fifteen." He explained.

"Want me to come with?" Bobby offered.

Seeing the hopeful expression on the older man's face, Dean smiled. "That'd be great, Bobby" he answered. "Sammy needs his father there. And so do I."

"Dean, I, I don't…"

"I know." The eldest Winchester quickly cut in. He scooped the rest of his food into his mouth, drowning it with the last of his coffee. "Now if you're through with your Hallmark moment, I'd like to get a shower before I wake up Sleeping Beauty."

Bobby smiled. "Go ahead. I'll keep an ear out for him." he offered as he rolled over to the counter to refill his mug. "Holler at me before you bring him in and I'll warm up some casserole for him."

"Bobby, you and Ellen have got to stop spoiling him." Dean grumbled.

"No, I don't." the junk yard owner threw back. "It's an unc, a father's prerogative."

"Uh huh" Dean replied, shaking his head. "I'll be sure to remind you of that the next time he's acting like a little brat."

"Go get your shower." Bobby huffed. He waited until the boy had reached the doorway before adding, "And don't use all the hot water!" Rolling his eyes at the young hunter's gesture, he headed to the table and began clearing it off.

SPN

"Wakey! Wakey!" Dean cheerfully called, shaking his little brother's shoulder. "Come on kiddo. Time to rise and shine!"

Sam groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Yawning, he blinked a few times to clear his vision. "What time is it?" he asked.

Dean frowned at the unexpected question. Little Sammy had never cared about the time. His first thoughts had always been about sleeping longer. Concerned, the elder Winchester carded a hand through his sibling's long locks before palming his cheek. "You feeling okay, kiddo?" he inquired.

Realizing his blunder, Sam swiftly came up with a cover. "Uh huh" he replied, nodding his head. "Is it ten yet? Thundercats is coming on at then and I don't wanna miss it."

Dean smiled. That sounded exactly like the Sammy he remembered. "Not quite yet, Sammy. You've still got thirty minutes." He told the younger boy. "Maybe Uncle Bobby will let you eat your breakfast out here so you can watch."

"Cool!" Sam exclaimed, squirming as his bladder suddenly made itself known. "Dean, I've gotta go!"

"Okay buddy, let's get you up." Dean said. Reaching out, he threw the blankets off his younger brother before helping Sammy into a sitting position. He then quickly and carefully transferred the taller hunter from the bed to his wheelchair. Grabbing the handles, the older brother hurriedly pushed the chair down the hall to the bathroom. He rolled the injured man up to the toilet and locked the brakes on the chair before hoisting Sam up to stand. Dean swiftly lowered his brother's sweat pants and boxers, turned the two of them, and settled Sammy on the commode. "I'll be right outside. Holler when you're through, okay?"

"Okay Dean" a red faced Sam agreed, looking anywhere but at his brother.

True to his word, Sam called his brother back into the room a few minutes later.

Dean helped Sammy clean up and wash his hands before sitting him back in his wheelchair. Going over to Bobby's newly refurbished handicapped accessible tub, he looked it over and then turned to his sibling. "Bath time, Short Stuff" he announced.

SPN

A short time later, Dean wheeled a cleaned and dressed Sam back into the living room. Stopping in front of the television, he set the brakes. The young hunter grabbed the remote and flicked the TV on, turning it to the cartoon channel. "There you go, Sammy" he said. "You watch while I go see if Bobby has your breakfast ready, alright?"

"K" Sam simply answered, already absorbed in the favorite childhood cartoon.

Smirking, Dean strode into the kitchen. "Bobby, the princess is ready for his breakfast!" he announced.

"I'm way ahead of you, boy" Bobby said, handing the elder Winchester a TV tray filled with food.

"Thanks" Dean told the older man as he took the tray. Spinning around, he headed back to his little brother.

SPN

At exactly ten after eleven Dean pulled his classic black Chevy into a parking space in front of the Sioux Falls Rehab Facility. Cutting the engine, he threw his door open and climbed out. After pulling Sam's wheelchair out of the back seat of the impala and setting it up, he hurried around to the other side of the vehicle. Yanking open the passenger door, the young man gently transferred his giant of a brother from the car to his wheelchair. Dean shut the door and started wheeling Sam towards the front of the facility. Falling into step beside Bobby, Josh, and Ellen, the hunter maneuvered around vehicles as he crossed the crowded parking lot. He pushed the wheelchair onto the sidewalk and around a corner to the front door. "Ready, kiddo?" he asked.

Sam let out a deep breath. "Yeah" he softly replied.

"Alright then, let's get this show on the road." Dean said. Pushing the automatic door button, he waited for the glass door to open and then wheeled Sam inside.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Warning- If you are not a bi-bro fan, turn back now. This story is not for you. This one has a happy ending with the brotherly bond firmly back in place. Neither brother is going to walk out on the other and refuse to forgive him. Both brothers have done things they shouldn't have. (even though they did them for what they thought were the right reasons.) Neither one is all innocent or all guilty. And neither one is solely responsible for starting the Apocalypse. It took the breaking of 66 seals to do that.(not one) Of those, Sam broke one and Dean broke one. And before my inbox gets inundated with PM's telling me Dean didn't know he was breaking a seal, I know he didn't. But neither did Sam. Dean, Sam, and Bobby all thought killing Lilith would stop the Apocalypse not be the last seal to break.

One last remark- Any flames will be given all the consideration they deserve, i.e. they will be immediately trashed.

Previously on Supernatural- "Alright then, let's get this show on the road." Dean said. Pushing the automatic door button, he waited for the glass door to open and then wheeled Sam inside.

SPN

"I'm tellin' you Sammy, it's okay." Dean assured his sibling as he pushed the disgruntled young man back into Bobby's house. "Nobody gets up and runs their first day at therapy. It takes a while to work up to it. Tony told you that. Remember?"

"Your brother's right Sammy. You're gonna get there. It's just gonna take time." Bobby advised. He wheeled up beside his sons and put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "You did your best today and that's all the matters."

"But"

"No buts, Sammy." Bobby broke in. "You just keep doing what you're doing and the rest will come. Okay?"

Sam sighed. While he knew the older hunter was right, it was still hard to accept. He hated not being able to do even the simplest of things, especially when it came to therapy. Failing at pretty much everything in that workout today with all his family watching reminded him of training sessions with his dad and not in a good way. The only thing missing was the insults being shouted at him. Of course if he kept scr…

"Sammy, you okay kiddo?" Dean asked, snapping the younger man out of his thoughts.

Sam peered up at his concerned brother. "Uh huh, I'm just tired." He fibbed.

Dean grinned happy it was something he could easily fix. "Well then, let's get you into bed so you can take a little nap." He replied. With Josh's help he carefully transferred his giant of a brother from his wheelchair to the bed. Once that was done, he grabbed the covers, pulled them up over Sam, and tucked them around the weary hunter. "Get some sleep, Shrimp."

"K" Sam agreed, closing his eyes. He didn't plan on actually sleeping but…his thoughts ground to a halt as he quickly drifted off to sleep.

SPN

When Sam awoke several hours later, it was to a pounding head and a scratchy feeling in his throat. Groaning, he glanced around the room, expecting to see his big brother. He found himself alone however. The injured hunter swallowed hard, wincing as the movement hurt his already sore throat. Knowing the others wouldn't have left him on his own, Sam focused his attention on the sounds of the house. He frowned at the lack of footsteps, voices, or any other noises. What was going on? Where was everybody? Had they left for a hunt? Was he on his own? What was he going to…

"Look who's awake!" Ellen cheerfully called from the kitchen doorway. Tossing the dish rag she had been using on the counter, she strode over and took a seat on the bed beside the youngest Winchester. Her brow furrowed as she noticed the slight flush on the boy's face. "Are you feeling alright Sweetie?" she asked, placing the back of her hand on Sammy's forehead.

Sam immediately fell into his little Sammy role. "No" he miserably replied, willing tears to his eyes which wasn't hard at all.

"What hurts, Sammy?" Ellen questioned as she reached over to the table for the first aid kit.

"My head and my throat" Sam rasped.

Nodding, Ellen popped open the overly large box and sifted through the contents until she found what she needed. Grateful that Bobby kept everything in the kit ready for use, she pulled the thermometer out of its case and held it up for her charge to see. "I need you to hold this under your tongue for me. Okay Sweetie?" she said.

"Okay" Sam answered.

After shaking the thermometer, Ellen gently settled it in the young man's mouth. "Shhhh, it's alright Baby" she soothed, carding a hand through Sam's messy mop of hair. "I've got ya. You're going to be okay." Once the required time had elapsed, the worried mother took the thermometer out of the youngest Winchester's mouth. She sighed as she gazed at the readout on the ancient instrument. "101.5" she mumbled. Digging through Bobby's first aid kit once again, she rooted around until she unearthed the almost empty bottle of Tylenol. Ellen popped the top, poured two pills into her hand, and showed them to her patient. "Open up Sweetie. These will make you feel better."

Sam obediently opened his mouth and dry swallowed the medicine, grimacing as the action hurt his already sore throat. A glass of water appeared in his line of sight and he swiftly drank the gloriously cold liquid down. "Thank you" he croaked when he was through.

"You're welcome Baby" Ellen replied, setting the empty glass on the table beside the bed. "Close your eyes and try to get some sleep now. You'll feel better when you wake up."

Sam shook his head slightly. "Where's Dean?" he asked. Ellen was nice but he wanted his big brother. Dean was the only one that could make him feel better.

Ellen sighed. She'd had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy. It never was with the Winchesters. "Dean and Bobby went into town to pick up some supplies." She told the ailing man. "They'll be back soon."

"Want Dean" Sammy muttered, not caring how childish he sounded.

"I know Baby. I know." Ellen whispered, palming the young man's cheek. "Just close your eyes and go to sleep. Dean will be here when you wake up."

"Can't. Want *yawn* Dean" Sam whined, struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Yes you can." Ellen softly countered. Seeing him shake his head, she huffed. The Winchester boys had to be the most stubborn people on the planet. Knowing she needed to get the bullheaded man to rest, the former bar owner quickly came up with a plan. She turned and scooted up to lean against the headboard of the bed. She then pulled her legs up and smiled down at her sick charge. "Come here Baby" she quietly said. Reaching over, she tugged Sam over until he was resting against her with his head on her chest. Wrapping an arm around him, she began humming a lullaby as she gently rubbed comforting circles on the hunter's back.

Sam fought sleep as hard as he could but the combination of meds, humming, and back rubbing swiftly drug him under.

SPN

"Dude, you didn't have to try to carry everything in one load." Dean admonished as he tromped in the front door of his surrogate father's place. "I was gonna…" he stopped dead in his tracks, a smirk creeping over his face at the sight before him. "Well, would you look at that?"

"What?" Bobby questioned, rolling into the room. Seeing Sammy and Ellen sleeping curled up together, he snickered. "Awww, isn't that cute?"

Dean chuckled. "You know when I told Sammy he needed to get laid, this isn't exactly what I had in mind." Pulling out his cell, he aimed it at the sleeping duo. He snapped a few blackmail photos and grinned down at his father figure. "Come on. Let's take this stuff in the kitchen so the two *snicker* love birds can sleep."

Bobby rolled his eyes at the boy's sense of humor. He glanced at the sleeping pair once more before wheeling himself towards the kitchen. The hunter suddenly stopped, eyes narrowing as his mind registered what he'd just seen. Whipping his chair back around, he quickly rolled over to the side of the bed. Taking note of the red spots on Sam's cheeks as well as the sheen of sweat on the boy's forehead, Bobby muttered a string of curse words. Placing a hand on the littlest Winchester's forehead confirmed what he already knew. The kid was running a fever and a high one at that. "Balls!" he angrily but softly exclaimed before spinning his chair around and quickly wheeling around the bed and through the living room and his office to the kitchen.

"Getting slow there old man." Dean teased, putting the last of the groceries away.

"Dean" Bobby called. When the younger man threw another smart remark over his shoulder without turning around, the salvage owner tried again; this time shouting to get the boy's attention. "Dean! Something's wrong with Sammy!"


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Warning- If you are not a bi-bro fan, turn back now. This story is not for you. This one has a happy ending with the brotherly bond firmly back in place. Neither brother is going to walk out on the other and refuse to forgive him. Both brothers have done things they shouldn't have. (even though they did them for what they thought were the right reasons.) Neither one is all innocent or all guilty. And neither one is solely responsible for starting the Apocalypse. It took the breaking of 66 seals to do that.(not one) Of those, Sam broke one and Dean broke one. And before my inbox gets inundated with PM's telling me Dean didn't know he was breaking a seal, I know he didn't. But neither did Sam. Dean, Sam, and Bobby all thought killing Lilith would stop the Apocalypse not be the last seal to break.

One last remark- Any flames will be given all the consideration they deserve, i.e. they will be immediately trashed.

Previously on Supernatural- "Dean" Bobby called. When the younger man threw another smart remark over his shoulder without turning around, the salvage owner tried again; this time shouting to get the boy's attention. "Dean! Something's wrong with Sammy!"

SPN

"Maybe we should get you one of those motorized chairs. If little old ladies can steer those things, your ancient a$$ should be able to work one." Dean teased, smirking at the expression he knew Bobby was sporting. The older man's shout wiped that grin right off his face. Spinning around, the eldest Winchester sprinted out of the kitchen. He raced through the office and into the living room before skidding to a stop at his little brother's bedside. Dean frowned at all the classic signs of a sick Sammy; the rosy cheeks, sweat dotted forehead, clinginess, and mumbling were the kid's trademark tells. How could he have missed those? He'd promised himself he'd be more vigilant where Sam was concerned and he'd already…

"Stop it, Dean" Ellen whispered as she slowly slid out of the bed. "The blame game is not allowed in this house."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Says who?"

"Me, ya idgit!" Bobby answered, delivering a hard swat to the boy's derriere.

Dean yelped more from surprise than anything else. "Seriously Bobby!" he scoffed even as he backed out of the senior hunter's reach.

"What?! It's not like I could reach your fool head!" Bobby grumbled, scowling at the mischievous look that overcame the boy's face. "Don't you dare say…"

"You two keep it down before you wake Sammy!" Ellen shushed.

Both men glanced down at their charge. Seeing him sleeping restlessly, they turned to the worried woman for answers. "How long?" Dean whispered.

"It started a couple of hours after you left. He woke up complaining of his head and throat hurting. And he had a fever over a hundred and one." Ellen explained. "The doctor your friend Vonnie sent over said he's got the flu."

"Doctor? Sammy's sick and you call for a doctor but not me?" Dean ranted.

"I didn't call Vonnie. She called to check on Sammy." Ellen clarified. "And for the record, I did try to call you; both of you. Neither one of you bothered to pick up."

Frowning, the men pulled out their cells and checked their messages.

Ellen huffed. "You guys were gone all afternoon and part of the evening and you didn't answer your phones or think to check your messages! If I didn't know better, I'd say you'd been on a hunt." The guilty looks that crossed the hunters' faces said it all. "You went on a hunt?! Are you nuts?!" A low moan from the bed reminded her to lower her voice. "You go on a hunt and don't bother to tell me where you're going or what's going on?!"

"Relax Ellen, it was just a simple salt and burn." Bobby replied. "Josh called when we were almost to town and asked for our help. We were only one town away and we were never in any danger. The spirit wasn't hurting anyone. It was just aggravating the family; pulling pranks and crap like that. We only took it out because there were little kids in the house and the spirit's tricks were scaring them."

"And once we finished and ran by the market, we were in such a rush to get back that checking our cells didn't even cross our minds." Dean finished.

"De" Sam whimpered as he began tossing and turning on the bed. "De love li'le Sammmmmy."

Dean leaned down and carded a hand through his brother's long locks. "That's right buddy. Dean loves Sammy." He whispered. "And Dean's gonna make Sammy feel all better. I promise."

"Dang boy! You sound like a character in one of those porno flicks." Bobby muttered, giving an exaggerated shudder.

Ellen snickered. "You been watching Lifetime again, Dean?" she teased.

Dean rolled his eyes. He started to throw back a witty retort but his little brother chose that moment to remind the others he was there. Flailing his arms, Sam rasped, "No! No De! Don't, don't leave me!"

"Shhh, Sammy shhhh! I'm right here, kiddo. I'm not going anywhere." Dean soothed. Taking a seat on the bed, he pulled his giant of a brother towards him, settling Sam's head in his lap. "It's alright Sammy. I'm not leaving you…ever." The protective big brother rocked and murmured to his sibling until he felt the younger man still as he drifted back to sleep. Dean then placed the back of his hand on Sam's forehead. "When's the last time he had any fever reducer?"

Ellen checked the clock before answering. "It's been a few hours. But he's not due another dose for two hours still."

"He's gonna need something before that." Dean told her. "His fever's already climbing into the danger zone."

"Balls!" Bobby softly exclaimed.

"Do I need to start a cool bath?" Ellen inquired.

Dean shook his head. "It's not that bad yet. Hopefully, we won't have to go there." he replied. "We do need to cool him down though. Could you get me a bowl of cold water and a wash rag?"

"You've got it, Sweetie." Ellen responded before hurrying out of the room.

"Anything I can do, Dean?" Bobby questioned.

"Yeah, we're gonna need extra blankets, sheets, pillows, and a couple of puke buckets." Dean rattled off. "You know what it's like when Sammy has the flu. He gets every symptom and then some."

"Yeah" Bobby replied with a grimace. The Winchester brothers and flu were not a good mix. He didn't know who it was harder on; the sick one or the one tending to him. The senior hunter sighed. They were in for a rough few days. Grabbing the wheels of his wheelchair, he started for the hallway. "I'll be back in a flash." He muttered.

"Thanks Bobby" Dean said without looking up.

"Here you go, Dean" Ellen called as she walked back into the room. She set the bowl on the coffee table and handed the young man the rag. "I'm going to go help Bobby gather the rest of the stuff."

"Thanks" Dean stated. "Oh, and you might want to push that potty chair thing a little closer, too. Puking's usually not the only way his body chooses to clear everything out if you know what I mean."

"Got it" Ellen responded. She moved the metal and plastic chair closer to the bed and then hurried out of the room.

Dean dipped the rag in the freezing water and began wiping off his brother's sweaty brow. "Dude, you really need to wake up and see this. You've got Bobby and Ellen running around like chickens with their heads cut off." He narrated as he sponged off his sibling. "I bet Josh will be too once he finds out you're under the weather. Heck, Rufus will probably come running, too. You've got all of them wrapped around your…"

Sam whined, batting at the frigid object torturing him. "De, De" he croaked. "Hur's De"

"It's okay, Sammy. You're alright. I'm just using a wet rag to cool you off 'cause you're running a little fever." Dean whispered, palming his little brother's cheek. "Just relax. Big brother is here and he's gonna make everything okay."

Sammy shook his head. "No, not De." He muttered, becoming increasingly agitated. "De h, hates Sam. Only loves, loves lit'le Sammmmy."

"Sam? Buddy, I don't hate you." Dean softly said. While he was happy that Sam was apparently adult Sam again, he was confused about why his brother would think he hated him. Whether it was the fever talking or some strange dream the kid's brain had concocted, Dean didn't care. He was going to set things straight. "I don't hate you, Sam. I love you kiddo."

Sam's head tossed from side to side. "No! Stop! Not De!" he protested. "Not De! De mad! H-hates Sam. Can't l-l-lose De 'gain. Hav, have to be lit'le Sammmmmy. Have to, to pre'nd be Sammmy for, for De!"


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing. The recording on Sam's cell in this chapter is from episode 4X22.

Warning- If you are not a bi-bro fan, turn back now. This story is not for you. This one has a happy ending with the brotherly bond firmly back in place. Neither brother is going to walk out on the other and refuse to forgive him. Both brothers have done things they shouldn't have. (even though they did them for what they thought were the right reasons.) Neither one is all innocent or all guilty. And neither one is solely responsible for starting the Apocalypse. It took the breaking of 66 seals to do that.(not one) Of those, Sam broke one and Dean broke one. And before my inbox gets inundated with PM's telling me Dean didn't know he was breaking a seal, I know he didn't. But neither did Sam. Dean, Sam, and Bobby all thought killing Lilith would stop the Apocalypse not be the last seal to break.

One last remark- Any flames will be given all the consideration they deserve, i.e. they will be immediately trashed.

Warning- Rough language ahead!

Previously on Supernatural- Sam's head tossed from side to side. "No! Stop! Not De!" he protested. "Not De! De mad! H-hates Sam. Can't l-l-lose De 'gain. Hav, have to be lit'le Sammmmmy. Have to, to pre'nd be Sammmy for, for De!"

SPN

Dean froze. "W-w-what?" he stammered.

Caught in the throes of a fevered nightmare, Sam continued his unknowing revelation. "De hhhhhaaates Sam! Neeeed De! De neeeeeds Sammmmmy! Have to 'tend to be, be Saaaammmy!"

The frown Dean had been sporting quickly morphed into a scowl at his little brother's confession. The furious young man leapt off the bed and angrily tossed the wet rag into the bowl, sloshing the water over the sides of the plastic container. "You little prick!" he shouted before knocking the lamp off the stand beside the bed. "You've been playing me the whole time! You selfish, arrogant SOB! I oughta…"

"Dean!" Bobby called out when the boy reached towards his ailing brother.

Startled, Dean spun around. The look of anger and hurt said it all. The enraged hunter stared at his two friends for a moment and then turned and started for the kitchen.

"Bobby"

"Keep an eye on Sam. I've got Dean." Bobby said before wheeling after his hot headed eldest.

Nodding, Ellen righted the lamp and then carefully sat down on the bed beside the ill Winchester. "Oh Sam, what have you done?" she whispered.

SPN

Dean stormed through the kitchen to the back door. He yanked it open only to have it slam shut in his face. Looking down, he glared at the man he considered his second father. "Let me go, Bobby" he growled.

"No" the salvage owner replied. "You and I are gonna talk."

Dean's scowl deepened. "Move" he ordered. When the older hunter remained between him and the door, he added, "Please, I don't wanna hurt you Bobby."

"Boy, you try that and you'll be in that bed next to your brother." Bobby warned, his expression showing how deadly serious he was.

"Fine" Dean huffed. He stomped over to the table and dropped into a chair. Crossing his arms, he glared at his old friend.

Bobby had to resist the urge to chuckle. The pout the kid was sporting would do any preschooler proud. Rolling his eyes at the act, the hunter wheeled over to the table and faced off with his son. "Now, I heard what Sammy said about the pretending and all and if it's true…"

"It's true all right." Dean grumbled.

"Then we'll deal with it when Sam's awake and aware enough to explain things to us." Bobby said.

"There's nothing to explain, Bobby!" Dean hollered. Jumping out of his chair, he began to pace back and forth like a caged animal. "The little shit lied! He lied to me! Looked me straight in the face and lied to me!"

Bobby frowned. "You act like you've never lied to the kid!" he replied.

"I haven't! Not about anything important!" Dean angrily yelled.

"Oh really?" Bobby threw back. "You lied about the supernatural and your part in it for years! You lied about your dad's last words for months. You lied about going after Castiel that first time and you lied about remembering Hell." Bobby ticked off.

"That's different," Dean defended.

"Why? Cause it was you?" Bobby questioned.

"No! Because I told those lies to protect him!" Dean raged. "Dammit Bobby! You know that!"

Bobby nodded. "I know." He answered. "But did you even stop to think that maybe Sam had a reason, too?"

"Sam has a reason alright! He's a selfish, bastard…"

"That's a load of bull and you know it!" Bobby angrily stated, snatching his cap off and swatting the table with it to emphasis his point.

"No, it's not! Sam's always put himself first and to Hell with the consequences! He fought with dad constantly, always wanting to play soccer or go to some school function instead of going hunting! That crap was more important to him than saving people's lives! And then, then to top it off Sam gets away the first chance he gets! The little shit left us to go to college! Dad made him choose and he chose college over family!" Dean ranted.

"Dang it Dean! You and I both know why Sammy did that and it had nothing to do with being selfish." Bobby bellowed.

"Are you sure about that Bobby? Cause I'm not. Not anymore." Dean softly admitted. Dropping back onto his chair, he ran a weary hand down his face before looking over at his long time friend. "Fine, I'll give you that one. But what about Ruby, huh? He trusted a demon, Bobby!"

"Yeah, a demon who had done nothing but try to help you two before you went…went down under." Bobby reminded. "A demon who convinced him that he could save you from your deal if he strengthened his powers."

"But he couldn't! There wasn't a way to save me from going to Hell! Ruby told me that months before the deal came due!" Dean revealed.

Bobby scowled. He hadn't heard that little bit of information. "Did you tell Sam that?" he asked.

"No of course not!" Dean replied. "He needed hope to go…" He let out a frustrated breath. "Fine, so I kinda messed up with that one. But what about after I came back? Sammy still snuck off to see her even after I told him not to!"

"Sam couldn't have stopped then and you know it! He was already addicted by then!" Bobby defended.

"He could have told us Bobby! We would have found a way to help him! He didn't have to keep going to Ruby to get his fix! But no! He kept going to her 'cause he was bound and determined to use his powers to kill Lilith!"

"Because she hurt you!" Bobby bellowed. Sighing, he softened his voice. "Dean, you beat up every bully that even so much as looked at Sam wrong. You never allowed anyone to hurt that boy; not even John. Lilith took you to Hell, hurt you in ways Sammy can only imagine. And when you came back, so did she. She still held your marker and Sam knew it. Don't you get it, boy? Sam was just trying to protect you."

"And look where that got him! He started the fucking Apocalypse!" Dean yelled, hitting the table with his fist.

"You talk like he did it singlehandedly! Sam didn't break all those seals; he tried to help stop them and you know it." Bobby growled. "Sam didn't know killing Lilith was the final seal; none of us did. The angels and demons made sure we all thought killing Lilith was the right thing to do to stop Lucifer from rising. You wanna blame someone for starting the Apocalypse blame the real culprits; the angels and the demons. They lied and manipulated the both of you time and time again. Both sides wanted Sam to release Lucifer and they did everything in their power to insure he did, including opening the panic room door."

Dean frowned. "What are you talking about Bobby?"

"Come on Dean. Haven't you wondered how Sam got out that night?" Bobby asked. "That door was locked from the outside. There's no way Sam could've opened it in the shape he was in. Somebody had to have let him out and I don't think it was a demon. They couldn't have touched the door much less opened it. And I know you and I didn't free him. Guess who that leaves?"

"The angels" Dean muttered. "But he still didn't have to kill Lilith. I left him that voice mail in plenty of time to stop him. His killing her after hearing my message means…"

"How do you know he got your message, son? Did you ever ask him about it?" Bobby inquired.

Dean shook his head. "It never really came up." he admitted. "But I'm sure he heard it. Sammy wouldn't ignore a message from me. He wouldn't."

"Okay, I'll give you that." Bobby agreed, knowing John's oldest was right. "But are you sure Sam got the message and that the message you sent is the one he received? The angels and demons were Hell bent on Sam killing Lilith. If they thought for one moment you would interfere, they wouldn't have hesitated to stop you."

Dean glanced over at the doorway. "I hadn't thought of that." he whispered.

"Only one way to find out" Bobby told him, reaching into his shirt pocket. He pulled out Sam's cell and handed it to the surprised younger man. "Check it."

Taking the phone, Dean swiftly pulled up the voice mail and scrolled down to the saved message. "It's here." He confirmed as he set the device on the table and pressed play. He gasped as a cold, hateful voice came through the speaker.

'Listen to me you blood sucking freak dad always said I'd either have to save you or kill you. Well, I'm giving you fair warning, I'm done trying to save you'

Dean's eyes widened as his voice spat out hateful lie and hateful lie. When it finally finished, he reached out a shaky hand and stopped the recording. "Bobby, I did not say that."

"I know boy." Bobby assured the younger man. "I know you wouldn't say that to him. Sam knows it, too. Now. But it would've been a different story then. He probably believed every word on the voice mail when he was at the convent. And that message would have…"

"Sent him over the edge" Dean finished. "Damn! No wonder he was acting so afraid when we left that place! He thought I was gonna, gonna kill him!"

"You boys were played Dean. Two of the most powerful forces on Earth were tugging on you two, tearing you apart. You did the best you could." Bobby absolved.

"Yeah, well it wasn't good enough, was it? Sammy still broke the last seal and unleashed Lucifer." Dean grumbled. "And now we've got angels, demons, and other hunters on our asses."

"We'll get through it, Dean. We always do." Bobby assured the boy.

"I know." Dean said before adding. "But that still doesn't explain why Sam lied to me again? I thought we were past that crap! And then he goes and does it again! What the Hell's wrong with him?!"

"I think I can answer that." a soft voice called from the doorway.

Dean scowled. "If you came in here to make excuses for Sam, you can walk right back out that…OW! Bobby!"

"Here her out idgit," Bobby scolded as he replaced his battered cap.

"I'm not going to make excuses for him, Dean. Sam lied to us and he's going to have to answer for that as soon as he's healthy again." Ellen sternly stated. "But I thought you'd like to hear why he lied."

"I know why. Because he didn't want me to leav…Quit it, Bobby!" Dean growled.

Ellen shook her head at the two. "You're partly right, Dean." she said. "But you need to hear the whole story." That said, she set her cell phone in the middle of the table, scrolled to the video she had made minutes earlier, and pressed play.

"De haaates Sammm. Said he leave Sammm. Cou, couldn't let him, let him leavvvvve mmmmeeee." Sam slurred. "Nooot strong 'nough. Neeed De. Have to keeeeeep De saaafe. Saaafe from Lu-Luci'er. 'Siiiides De wannnnts li'l Sammmy. Said heeee hooped I'd beeee li'l Sammmy, not Sammm. Gotta give De what he wannnnts. De never getsssss what he wanntsssss. Got-gotta makkke ssssssssssure De doesssss thisssss time. Heeeee deserv's to beeee happppy."


	20. Chapter 20

Warning- If you are not a bi-bro fan, turn back now. This story is not for you. This one has a happy ending with the brotherly bond firmly back in place. Neither brother is going to walk out on the other and refuse to forgive him. Both brothers have done things they shouldn't have. (even though they did them for what they thought were the right reasons.) Neither one is all innocent or all guilty. And neither one is solely responsible for starting the Apocalypse. It took the breaking of 66 seals to do that.(not one) Of those, Sam broke one and Dean broke one. And before my inbox gets inundated with PM's telling me Dean didn't know he was breaking a seal, I know he didn't. But neither did Sam. Dean, Sam, and Bobby all thought killing Lilith would stop the Apocalypse not be the last seal to break.

One last remark- Any flames will be given all the consideration they deserve, i.e. they will be immediately trashed.

Previously on Supernatural- "De haaates Sammm. Said he leave Sammm. Cou, couldn't let him, let him leavvvvve mmmmeeee." Sam slurred. "Nooot strong 'nough. Neeed De. Have to keeeeeep De saaafe. Saaafe from Lu-Luci'er. 'Siiiides De wannnnts li'l Sammmy. Said heeee hooped I'd beeee li'l Sammmy, not Sammm. Gotta give De what he wannnnts. De never getsssss what he wanntsssss. Got-gotta makkke ssssssssssure De doesssss thisssss time. Heeeee deserv's to beeee happppy."

SPN

The recording ended, plunging the room into an awkward silence. The three hunters stared at the phone each trying to wrap their minds around what they heard. After a moment, Ellen and Bobby shifted their gaze from the cell phone to Dean. Neither one was sure how the young man would react to this latest development.

Dean didn't seem to notice the attention. He was frozen in place as his mind re-wound his brother's words. He stayed like that for several minutes before spinning around and storming out the back door.

"Dean" Bobby called, grabbing the wheels of his chair to roll after the hot headed boy.

"Let him go, Bobby" Ellen advised, laying a hand on her friend's arm. "Give him some time to cool off. He'll come back when he's ready."

Bobby took off his tattered cap, ran a hand through his thinning hair, and then replaced the ancient hat. "I hope you're right, Ellen." He mumbled. "I really hope you're right."

"I am." Ellen confidently stated though she was anything but confident. Patting the old hunter's arm, she added, "Come on. Let's go see if we can't get Sam's fever down. Dean will be pissed if he comes back and his little brother's fever hasn't been dealt with."

Bobby sighed. While his instincts were screaming at him to chase down the eldest Winchester, he knew it would do more harm than good. Dean had inherited his father's temperament and coping mechanisms. When he was upset in any way, those feelings morphed into the one feeling he could deal with; anger. And when that happened he tended to take his feelings out on whatever or more appropriately whoever happened to be in range. Most of the time, Sam had ended up being the only one close and as such had borne the brunt of Dean's rage. Other times, like now, the furious hunter took his anger out on the many junk heaps in Bobby's salvage yard. Going after the boy would only accomplish two things; pissing the kid off more than he already was and wreaking Bobby's wheelchair and probably Bobby. So, instead of following his instincts, he turned and wheeled after Ellen. He'd help the Winchester he could and take care of the other once the boy had calmed down. He just hoped it happened soon.

SPN

Bobby transferred himself from his wheelchair to the brand new leather recliner Josh had insisted on bringing over. Leaning back, he let out a low moan of pleasure. The made for comfort chair felt wonderful after being trapped in that infernal contraption he had to use to get around. The sculpted leather hugged his body in all the right places, soothing the aches and pains being in his wheelchair for so long had caused. Comfortable for the first time in hours, the salvage yard owner looked over at his peacefully sleeping charge. Two and a half days. It had been two and a half seemingly endless, gosh-awful days since Dean had walked out and he had yet to show his face. Bobby knew the boy was angry and hurt and he understood that. He really did. But after two days of caring for a sick, scared Sam who did nothing but cry, beg, and plead for his big brother, the father figure wasn't quite as sympathetic towards Dean, especially since it had taken Bobby, Ellen, Josh, and Rufus to deal with the extremely ill boy. Sam's fever had refused to go down, rendering the youngest Winchester out of it the majority of the time. Josh and Rufus had had to transfer the giant of a man from the bed to the potty chair and back more times than he cared to recall as the sickness had crap running outta both ends. The boy had gotten weaker and weaker as any and all fluids came right back up while everything else came out the other end. They'd finally had to call Jefferson out in the wee hours of the morning. The physician had examined the boy before giving Sam an injection of some kind as well as a medication that the kid would have fought tooth and nail not to have administered had he been conscious. Jeff had also started an IV to replace all the lost fluids. And Sam had been sleeping peacefully ever since. He wasn't out of the woods yet not by any means. But the frequent trips to the potty chair and puke pan had stopped and for that Bobby was incredibly grateful. If only Dean's problems could be fixed with…

Dean wearily tromped into the front door of one of the only places that had ever felt like home. He knocked cakes of mud off the bottom of his boots before silently walking into the living room. Spotting the half full bag of fluids hanging from the coat rack, the eldest Winchester hurried over to his brother. Dropping onto the bed, he reached out a shaky hand and carded it through his brother's sweaty locks. He frowned at the heat he could feel. "What happened?" he asked, not taking his eyes off his sibling.

"The kid got dehydrated. What do you think happened?" Bobby snapped. Running a tired hand across his face, he sighed. "Sorry Dean, it's been a long few days."

Dean nodded. "I hear ya." He agreed, the weariness evident in his voice. "How bad?"

"The usual" Bobby replied. "You know how Sammy gets when he has the flu. Everything squirts out and nothing stays in. We tried our best to take care of the kid but we just couldn't get a handle on it. We ended up having to call Jefferson in this morning. He got some medicine into Sam and he's been sleeping like a baby since then."

"Let me guess; he used the bullet." Dean said, grimacing at the thought of that being administered.

"Yep" Bobby answered, screwing his face up with disgust. "Thankfully, he gave the kid a sedative first so Sam was out for that part."

"It's a good thing he did. Even sick as a dog Sammy's one Hell of a fighter." Dean told him. "He would've knocked half of you on your butts before Jefferson managed to insert the blasted thing."

Bobby sniggered. "That's what Jeff said." he said. "He told us the last time he had to do that to Sam the boy took John out and almost did the same to you."

Dean barked out a laugh. "I'd forgotten all about that. Dad had been harping on Sammy for weeks before that to train harder; that he was too weak to really do any damage. He took any opportunity he could to rag on the kid; rubbing it in each time I pinned him when we sparred, which was pretty much every time we sparred. The man never took into account the differences in size and strength. I mean Sammy was still a shrimp at thirteen. He hadn't had his growth spurt yet so he didn't even come up to my shoulders. There was no way he could have taken me in a fight but dad didn't see it that way. He spent so much time yelling and berating Sammy that the kid really believed what the old man was saying was true." Dean related with a scowl. That scowl didn't last long though as memories of what happened next came through. "Then Sammy got sick; really sick. Dad thought it was a touch of food poisoning from some crappy diner so of course he tried to make Sam tough it out. He changed his mind real quick though. After less than a day, he was calling up Jefferson and begging him to come out."

"Johnny never did do well when one of you boys was cutting loose." Bobby commented.

"Yeah, he could deal with any type of wound but put him in a room with a kid that has the runs and he'd be outta there faster than you could say boo." Dean agreed with a grin. "Anyway, Jefferson came and did his little exam and everything was going good until he said the 's' word. Sammy tried to tell them no but dad just shushed him. Luckily Jefferson had a little more sense. He told me and dad to get a tight hold on Sam so he could administer the meds. That's when gigantor really started fighting. The kid clocked dad good; knocked him out cold. Funniest thing I'd ever seen. Jeff never let dad live that down."

"You boys didn't either. I remember the two of you razzing your dad about it when you came to my place for Sammy to recover." Bobby added. "You know that's probably the most confident I'd ever seen Sam. The boy was smart as a whip and as knowledgeable about the supernatural as anybody I knew but when he was around your dad, he was like a dog that'd been kicked one too many times. His shoulders were slumped and his head was bowed anytime he was in the same room with your old man. It always broke my heart to see that." Bobby paused before continuing. "And you…you were always bopping around doing anything and everything you could to try to impress John and make him proud."

Dean frowned not liking where this conversation was going. "Bobby, dad did his…"

"His best, I know" the elder hunter finished. "Don't mean he wasn't an ass."

"True" Dean agreed, sighing as he glanced down at his sleeping brother.

Bobby watched his son tenderly tuck the blankets around his little brother and fiddle with the IV tubing and the pillows. He smiled, reminded of all the other times he'd witnessed Dean mother henning Sam. His heart lifted with hope. Maybe things weren't so hopeless after all. "Dean" he softly called once the boy had finished his ministrations. "Are you and Sam okay?"

Dean blew out a breath. "Not yet" he confessed. "We will be though. Don't get me wrong. I'm still pissed at the brat for lying to me and I plan on beating his ass as soon as he's up and around. But once this latest setback is over, he and I are having a nice long talk about, well about everything. Sammy and I will iron things out. We always do."

"You'd better cause if not, the three of us will be taking a little trip to the woodshed." Bobby teased.

"Woodshed?" Dean repeated. "Dude, don't you know that punishment is out of style now? Time out is the newest trend in child rearing."

Bobby snorted. "Time out. Riiiight." Bobby scoffed. "The only thing time out would've done was give you two time to come up with more mischief."

"Yeah" Dean said with a smirk. "Sam and I…"

"Bobby could you lend me a hand?" Ellen asked as she walked into the room. She brightened as she caught sight of the other man in the room. "Dean! I'm so glad to see you!"

"Hey Ellen" Dean replied, rolling his eyes as he was enveloped in a bone crushing hug.

Releasing her hold, Ellen smacked the young man on the arm. "Dean Winchester don't you ever scare me like that again!" she growled.

"Yes ma'am" Dean answered, doing his best to look at least a little ashamed.

"Good" Ellen said, nodding her head. "Now that we have that settled, I need your help fixing supper Bobby. We've got an army to feed and I don't have enough hands to get everything ready."

Groaning, Bobby set the recliner back in the upright position and swiftly transferred himself back into his hated wheelchair. "Alright" he grumbled. "I'm coming."

Dean chuckled as he listened to the two snipe at each other all the way to the kitchen. Those two were like an old married couple. Not that he would tell them that. Once they disappeared through the doorway, he turned his attention to his ailing brother. Carding a hand through Sam's sweat soaked hair, Dean settled in to do what he did best; take care of Sammy.


	21. Chapter 21

Warning- If you are not a bi-bro fan, turn back now. This story is not for you. This one has a happy ending with the brotherly bond firmly back in place. Neither brother is going to walk out on the other and refuse to forgive him. Both brothers have done things they shouldn't have. (even though they did them for what they thought were the right reasons.) Neither one is all innocent or all guilty. And neither one is solely responsible for starting the Apocalypse. It took the breaking of 66 seals to do that.(not one) Of those, Sam broke one and Dean broke one. And before my inbox gets inundated with PM's telling me Dean didn't know he was breaking a seal, I know he didn't. But neither did Sam. Dean, Sam, and Bobby all thought killing Lilith would stop the Apocalypse not be the last seal to break.

One last remark- Any flames will be given all the consideration they deserve, i.e. they will be immediately trashed.

Previously on Supernatural- Carding a hand through Sam's sweat soaked hair, Dean settled in to do what he did best; take care of Sammy.

SPN

Sam slowly woke and lazily opened his eyes a little. Glancing around the familiar room, he smiled as his gaze landed on his sleeping sibling. Having Dean nearby made him feel safe; always had. Assured that his big brother hadn't left him, Sam started a mental check of his body. His head was pounding, his throat was sore, and all his joints ached something fierce. All in all he felt like complete and utter crap. Sleep beckoned him and he longed to answer its call but he couldn't; not with his full to bursting bladder screaming at him to get to a bathroom before his bed became a lake. Sighing, Sam looked to his brother once more. He hated to wake Dean up when he looked so exhausted but he didn't have any…

"Hey Sammy! Good to see you awake!" Josh cheerfully whispered as he crept over to the bed. "How are you feeling kid?"

"Not too good" Sam rasped, gazing up at the man. "Josh, could you, ummm, could you helpmetothebathroom?"

Josh grinned at the boy's embarrassment. 'The kid would croak if he knew what we'd done for him the last few days.' He thought. To Sam though he merely said, "I can do you one better, Sport." He leaned over and snatched a heavy metal pan off the floor. "I'll put this bed pan in place for ya so you don't have to get up. With all that dancing you're doing I don't think you'd make it to the bathroom."

Sam turned beet red as the man he thought of as an uncle tossed the covers to one side, yanked down his boxer shorts, and helped him lift his behind off the bed before sliding the bed pan into place. Much to Sam's dismay, Joshua stayed right there while he did his business. He didn't even turn around to give Sam a little privacy!

Once the littlest Winchester was finished, Josh carefully slid the pan out. Setting it on the floor, he quickly replaced the boy's shorts and blankets. He then picked the pan back up and looked down at Sam, smiling as the boy's eyes began to droop. "I'm gonna go empty this." He softly said as he gestured to the hallway. "Why don't you get some more sleep, kiddo?"

"Th'ks Jo…" Sam's eyes drifted shut and he fell asleep.

"Sweet dreams, kid" Josh whispered, tenderly palming the boy's cheek. He adjusted the covers on both sleeping Winchesters before silently walking out of the room.

SPN

The next time Sam managed to peel his eyes open he found himself face to face with his brother. "D'n sp'ce!" he sleepily grumbled.

Chuckling, Dean sat back a little. "Sorry Princess" he apologized though his tone suggested he wasn't sorry at all. "I was just wondering if I was gonna have to kiss you to wake you up or something."

Sam grimaced. "Gross *yawn* dude" he replied, glaring at his laughing sibling. The glare didn't last long though. It was swiftly replaced by a frown as the young man noticed the bags under his brother's eyes, the disheveled hair and clothes, and the way his smile didn't quite make it to his eyes as well as the furrowed brow and body odor. All were signs of an extremely worried, mother henning Dean. Which made perfect sense. Of course Dean would be in super overprotective big brother mode; he thought he was dealing with a sick little Sammy. He had always been that way when a younger Sam was ill or hurt. But this was different. Dean didn't just look tired; he looked beyond exhausted, like the slightest breeze would bowl him over. And the worry lines on his forehead were more pronounced than usual. The truth suddenly hit Sam like a ton of bricks! He had done this! Between dealing with his injuries, sudden illness, and his supposed regression Dean was running himself ragged! This wasn't what Sam had wanted! He'd thought by pretending to be little Sammy he'd make Dean happy; that his big brother wouldn't be so worried or upset all the time. But his act had done the exact opposite. He'd just added to the load Dean already carried. He had to make this right. He had to. So Sam took a deep breath, screwed up his courage, and opened his mouth. "Dean, I've gotta tell you something really important."

"Okay" Dean agreed. "Shoot"

"I, uhhh, I've, I've been pre-pretending to be little Sammy all this time. I never, never regressed or anything. I was just pretending." Sam tearfully admitted. Dropping his gaze to his hands, he waited for Dean's wrath.

"I know." Dean replied.

Sam's eyes shot back up to his brother's face. "You, you know?" he asked.

Dean nodded. "You always tell all your deepest secrets when you're out of it, dude." He informed his little brother, giving him a small smile. The smile quickly morphed into an angry thin line. "What I want to know is why. Why did you do that? Why did you lie to me again?"

Sam managed a slight shrug. "I, I don't know. I, I heard you say you were gonna leave and I didn't want you to go so I, I…" he paused. "I was just being a selfish SOB like dad…"

"Stop!" Dean commanded. "I want you to listen and listen good. You are not now and never have been selfish. Dad was wrong! You weren't any more selfish than we were."

Sam frowned. "You and dad weren't selfish." He corrected.

"Really?" Dean scoffed, crossing his arms. "So dad dragging two little kids here, there, and yonder and dumping them in one motel room after another so he could go out and fight everything that went bump in the night wasn't selfish? Or how about going out and getting shit faced every November second? Or never celebrating any holidays because of what they reminded him of? Or how about never allowing us to talk or ask questions about mom? Aren't those selfish?"

"But"

"And then there's me." Dean continued. "How many times did I dump you at that Pennywise place so I could hit the town even though I knew you hated the places because of the clowns? Or what about all the times I sided with dad because I wanted to hunt, huh? Wouldn't you say I was being selfish?"

"No Dean" Sam replied, shaking his head. "You weren't being selfish. You were just being a normal, teenage boy."

"And so were you." Dean tossed back. "You weren't being selfish when you wanted normal things like being on a soccer team or a school club or even finishing a whole year at one school. You were just being a kid. All kids want what they can't have. You were no exception. Dad and I should have known that. We never should have called you selfish. You were no more selfish than we were."

Sam shook his head again. "No, no I'm the selfish one. Not you. Never you." he protested. "I always wanted my way! And, and I left! I ran away when things didn't go my way!"

Dean sighed. This was not going the way he had planned. Still he was learning just how badly their dad's and sometimes his words had hurt his brother. "Okay enough!" he growled. "You were not selfish! And you know it! One, if you ran off every time things didn't go your way, dad and I would have spent every day looking for your scrawny ass! And two, when you did run off to Flagstaff, it had nothing to do with you not getting your way!"

"Doesn't matter" Sam croaked, refusing to back down. "You got in trouble because of me."

"No, I got in trouble because of me." Dean corrected. Seeing confusion flash across his brother's face, the hunter clarified his statement. "Dad was pissed that you'd run off on my watch. I'll give you that. But he was furious that I had waited a week and a half to call him. Knowing what's out there, calling dad should have been my first move. But I figured you were at a friend's hiding out or at least somewhere in town. It wasn't until I'd done a thorough search of that city and the ones around it that I realized you were really gone and that I'd need help to find you."

"That was a reasonable assumption though." Sam told him. "That time I ran away when I was eight, I only went as far as my friend's backyard."

"Well, dad didn't see it that way." Dean tossed back. "I've never seen him like that. He was terrified Sammy. He was scared to death that something would happen to you before we could find you. And it wasn't just the supernatural things he was worried about man. The human predators; they're the things he feared the most. A cute little kid like you out on his own is a pedophile's dream. And thanks to me, those sickos had had over a week to stalk and maybe hurt you."

"Nobody…"

"But they could have and that's on me. If I'd just called dad when I found out you were gone, he'd have come and brought every hunter he knew with him. We would have found you in a matter of hours instead of weeks." Dean countered, shaking his head as memories of that time resurfaced. "If something had happened to you, it would have killed me. I deserved whatever punishment I got. Besides, it's not like he beat me or anything. Dad just yelled and ranted and maybe pushed me around a little. And I was grounded from hunting until he decided he could trust me again. That's all."

"You still wouldn't have been in trouble if it wasn't for me." Sam angrily stated.

"Like you never got in trouble for things I did." Dean scoffed as a smirk worked its way onto his face. "I think my favorite was that time you were on the phone with dad lying about my whereabouts when he stormed into the room?"

Sam let out a chuckle. "How was I supposed to know he'd gotten back and noticed the impala was missing?" he replied. "I think that was the worst spanking I ever got. I didn't think I'd ever be able to sit again."

"Hey, I lost the keys to the impala for a month and got triple the training out of it." Dean grumbled before smiling. "See, you're not selfish. You wouldn't have gotten your butt busted for lying for me if you were."

Sam huffed. He had to make Dean see; had to make him understand that their dad had been right all along. "What about Stanford? Dad told me I had to choose between college and family and I chose college. If that wasn't selfish, I don't know what is."

"I'm glad you brought that up, Sammy." Dean told him. "Cause I've been thinking about that an awful lot the last few days and I've come to see that you were right to go."

"That's r…wait! What?" Sam croaked. Wincing, he attempted to clear his sore throat.

Dean swiftly poured a cup of water and helped Sam slowly drink it. "Better?" he questioned.

"Y-yeah" Sam rasped.

Dean's brow furrowed. His little brother's voice had sounded wreaked before but it was steadily getting worse as time went on. They needed to finish this conversation fast so Sam could rest. Nodding to himself, the senior Winchester set the cup on the coffee table and then threw himself back into the discussion. "Okay, like I was saying I understand the Stanford thing now. You weren't trying to hurt us or get away from us. You just wanted to go to college. And yeah, you wanted to go to learn and to have normal for a while but I think it was more than that. I think a big part of wanting to go had to do with you wanting to grow up; to become the adult we never would have let you be."

"Dean"

"Don't interrupt Sasquatch" Dean scolded. "You know I never realized how differently we were raised until now. I always figured you and I were treated just the same but that isn't exactly true. I had one thing you never did; freedom. I've been free to do pretty much whatever I wanted since dad started leaving us in motel rooms when I was seven. Sure I had you to watch and food to ration and a lot of other responsibilities but I also had the freedom to choose what we did and when we did it. I was even free to come and go as I saw fit especially after you turned seven or eight. While you were stuck in the room, I was out getting food or getting supplies or just walking around. And then we got older and I got into the ladies. So I started dropping you at every Plucky's we came across with strict orders to stay put. And even though you hated the place you stayed there until I finished cruising for chicks. Then there were all the evenings I stayed out to ummm, party a little and left you to man the phone so dad wouldn't know I was out."

"True but I even-eventually got to stay by my, myself." Sam softly pointed out.

"Yeah but you still didn't have any real freedom." Dean countered. "Dad and I called the motel phone at odd hours to check on you and make sure you were in the room like you were supposed to be. Between our calls and school you had almost no time to yourself."

Sam yawned. "You guys would have cut the apron strings sooner or later." he argued.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "When? When you were forty?" he scoffed. "Dude, dad didn't even let me hunt on my own until I was in my early twenties."

"But"

"Come on man." Dean interrupted. "If you'd stayed, dad and I would have never treated you like an adult. You would have always been little Sammy who needs to be protected. It's the truth and you know it."

"Alright" Sam answered, knowing it was true whether he wanted to admit it or not.

"Good, now let's get back to the topic on hand. I've got something I want you to listen to." Dean said, pulling out Ellen's cell phone. He scrolled to the video of Sam's fevered confession and hit play.

Sam paled as he listened to his confession. He hung his head when the recording ended. "Dean, Dean I'm sorry." He apologized. "That first time I did it because I didn't want you to leave but then *yawn* then I heard you say you hoped I'd stay that way so I kept doing it for you. I'm sorry. I thought I was doing what you wanted. But I got it wrong again. *yawn* I never get it right. No matter what I do or why I always end up letting you down. And, and I know saying I'm sorry can't make up for everything I've done but I am sorry." Sam glanced up at his brother with a sigh. "I guess you're gonna leave now, huh?"

Dean frowned. "I'm not going anywhere Sam." He answered, wondering where his brother came up with that idea.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, it makes sense that I'm the one that leaves." He resignedly said. "I'll ask Bobby to call the…"

"Sammy, what the hell are you talking about?" Dean hollered. "I'm not going anywhere and neither are you!"

"But"

"But nothing" Dean growled. "We are staying together from now on. And all the crap up to now is gone; its water under the bridge. You and I are starting over with clean slates. But there are going to be some ground rules with the first and most important being no more lies. And no secrets. We tell each other everything from now on. And no going off and doing things on your own. We're a team. Got it?"

"You're, you're not gonna…" Sam broke off as he was suddenly enveloped in a bone crushing hug. Feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, he melted into his big brother's embrace.

Dean smiled as his little brother relaxed into the hug. The ill young man's breathing quickly evened out signaling that he had fallen asleep. Dean held his younger sibling for a while longer before reluctantly laying him down. They still had some talking to do but it could wait until Sam was better. Dean brushed the stray bangs out of his brother's face before standing and dropping back into the chair he'd been in for the past day and a half. "Sleep well kiddo" he whispered.

AN- This was the hardest chapter I've ever written. I hope it turned out alright.


End file.
